Demons in the Mist
by Willibaldvonsomething
Summary: Zabuza was right. When he died, he didn't join Haku in Heaven. No, his hands were far too stained to ever be blessed with feathery white wings, so it was no surprise when he awoke in the underworld as a devil. Now, years later with his better half by his side, he's ready to set out on a new path. To gather a peerage worth his time, and re-earn his title as the Demon of the Mist.
1. First Move

There were few things Lord Gremory loved more in the world than having an afternoon to himself, playing a relaxing game of chest against an imaginary opponent while enjoying a fresh cup of tea. Life was good. Three sided war non-withstanding.

"Master Gremory. You have a visitor."

Well there goes my good day. Lord Gremory sighed to himself as turned to face the non-descript maid who drew the short straw of intruding on her master's peace time. Still, the red-haired Lord smiled. "Thank you Cecil, please invite them in."

Cecil gave a short bow before leaving, closing the door behind her. Gremory took the time to reset the chest board, putting the pieces back in Might as well enjoy a game while we discuss...

The middle aged devil leaned back as he waited, taking one last minute to enjoy the silence before being dragged back into the politics and family relations that have taken over modern devil society. It's probably the Phenex boy trying to move up the date of the marriage.. again.. I'll have to talk to Sirzech to find some way to shut the pup up and wait..

Another knock on the door of his study brought Gremory back to reality. "Come in Cecil."

"Of course sir." Came the muffled response as the heavy oak doors swung open. With his back to the door, Gremory couldn't yet see the intruder, but he could hear one more set of footsteps than he expected.

So it's not Phenex, or he's taken to dragging one of his harem with him at all times.. Gremory wiped that thought away, knowing Riser, he'd bring his entire harem instead of just one. Even if it was official business.

Once the footsteps came to a rest, Gremory stood up, he didn't want to leave his padded crimson chair, but he couldn't be rude. If they were unimportant devils, Cecil or any of his other maids would have simply turned them away, or at best scheduled an appointment.

So when he turned to find a pale-skinned youth staring him down, it only took a brief second to click in the old devil's head exactly who he was talking to. The woman by his side was an even greater hint. The edges of his forced smile smoothing out slightly, into a genuine one.

"My, oh my. The young heir of the Gaap's, and his lovely queen. This is a surprise. Please, please. Have a seat, would you like some tea and snacks while we chat?"

The young man simply nodded, his expression hidden by the white scarf loosely wrapped around his mouth and neck, while his companion beamed back, choosing to speak for the both of them.

"Thank you Lord Gremory, that would be delightful. We do hope this doesn't take to long though. We are aware how little time a devil of your status has for leisure, and neither of us wish to intrude any longer than absolutely necessary."

The young woman bowed at her waist, the bound tips of her hair brushing against her light pink kimono, before the pair took their place across from Lord Gremory on a crimson couch. The teenage boy sparing the chessboard a quick glance before his gaze settled back on his host.

Gremory took his seat with a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the lady's apologies. "Think nothing of it. In fact, you are doing me a great service by visiting me today. Simply play a quick game of chess before you leave, and I will consider this a splendid addition to my otherwise boring day."

Again the young man nodded, but choose not to speak, leaving his companion to pick up the slack. "Again thank you Lord Gremory."

"Now, tea. My son recently sent me this stash of french vanilla that he swears by, along with the usual selection. We also have an assortment of baked goods that would go well with it all."

"Lord Gremory, you are spoiling us. Simple green tea shall do for the both of us, thank you." The girl said with a suppressed giggle. Cecil nodded at the order, and left the room to the three devils.

"So, my curiosity has been peaked. The heir to the Gaap Clan comes to me out of the middle of nowhere, asking for an audience. I'm going to guess this isn't a social visit, since our families while not enemies are by no means close, nor do I believe we have ever had the pleasure of each other's company before. So please, young Zabuza. Tell me, whatever can I do for you."

Zabuza simply shrugged as he leaned back on the couch, raising an arm to drape over his companion's shoulder. "A favor, a business deal, transaction, whatever you wish to call it. I've heard of the school you own, so what you can do for me is list the price of admission for two. Haku and I wish to enroll. Aside from that, I have nothing else to discuss."

Haku gave Zabuza a light smack to the chest. "Now Zabuza, don't be rude." Turning her head, Haku gave Lord Gremory a shy smile. "Apologies. Zabuza can be rather blunt. But he doesn't mean to offend."

Gremory for his part took it with a smile as he nodded. Getting these two a place would be child's play.. And he's already demonstrated his potential in the past.. could be a chance for Rias to make some important allies..

"No worries Miss Haku. I am well aware of your King's reputation. But may I ask why you wish to journey to the human world as students?" The elder devil asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw Haku's cheeks light up in a small blush.

"Well.. um."

"Haku wanted to see what it'd be like to have a normal life for a while. And I am willing to give it to her. Besides, young minds are easier to mold, and the extra energy can be put towards training." Zabuza spoke up as Cecil entered the study with a tray in hand.

The conversation settled for a few short minutes as tea was poured and snacks served, giving Lord Gremory time to think. Well, it's not like I see any cons to this arrangement. Some might say I'm showing favoritism, but really, it's just a young heir asking to go to school...

Gremory gave Zabuza and Haku another quick look over, noticing how the boy's eyes seemed to be picking him apart. Yes, if I know my little girl, she'll be able to get an alliance out of him. Gremory hid a smile. Or at best, he may join her peerage..

"Well, by price of admission, I'm assuming you'd come to bribe me?"

"If that's what's needed. Money is no issue." Zabuza said as he leaned back, letting his tea cool down. Not that he had any intentions of touching it anyways. Haku was discreetly checking for poison or other additives, while his attention was stuck on their host.

One lifetime of relative peace wasn't going to outweigh another life of caution and blood. Especially when they were going to be thrown against devils, and angels, fallen or not.

"In that case, your price of admission is the game of chess I was promised earlier. I'm sure your clan will figure out living arrangements." Another nod and a smile from the pair, or more specifically a smile from Haku and what appeared to be a stoic frown from Zabuza, let Gremory know to continue. "Give me a week, and you'll be perfectly set up."

"Thank you Lord Gremory, are you sure there isn't anything else we could do? Like we said, money is not an obstacle." Haku spoke up again, only to have her concerns waved away.

"No, no, no. Who am I to deny young ones such as yourselves a proper education? Now, how bout that game of chess?"

* * *

><p>Lord Gremory looked over the chessboard, the games still fresh in his memory, seeing as both opponents had left ten minutes prior. He was glad to be alone, it gave him time to think and mull over the game. In his long life, Lord Gremory had learned that one of the best ways to judge a person's character was a game of chess.<p>

How they played, were they aggressive? Did they take their time to think their moves out? What pieces did they seem to value? Did they focus solely on the game, or did they welcome the conversation and distractions? How did they react to victory? How did they react to defeat?

Haku was easy enough to read, and a breath of fresh air against some of his regular opponents. She was happy to gossip, and simply enjoy the game, but her keen intellect showed through as she directed the conversation around as they played, almost using it as a distraction, picking topics he was passionate about to blind side his attention.

For every mistake he made, Haku was sure to capitalize on with that same sweet smile. And the worst part is, I don't think she was faking it.

The girl even took defeat with grace, lacking the enforced stiffness of those only pretending for the sake of politeness. The girl's words came back to him. "Thank you for the game Lord Gremory. I will take this as a learning experience, and I hope that in the future we'll have a chance to see if I improve."

Nice girl. It was the boy, he was worried about. He is the deciding factor. The Gaap heir could be a great ally or a terrible enemy. During the entire visit, Zabuza had said less than an a dozen full sentences, replying mostly with grunts, shrugs or simply letting Haku speak for himself as he simply observed.

If the girl wore a mask of open kindness, Zabuza's mask was blank as a white oval. Didn't help I couldn't see half of his expression. Lord Gremory took a moment to consider if that's why the boy wore that scarf… before passing it off as something to determine later.

No, he had more important things to worry about as he finished his cup of tea. The boy was an unknown aside from his reputation. Specifically how violent he'd get to defend his queen. Wonder if he's inherited the abilities of the Gaap's.. alas, time shall tell.

Lord Gremory flicked his king piece over before standing up. He needed to take a walk and enjoy some fresh air before he lost track of time in his small study. Two wins. One earned with pride from a beautiful young lady, and another simply taken by a boy in a mask not caring if the game was won or lost.

**An: Yo. Just a few things, I'm still debating on a few things. But just to clarify. This will be a ZabuzaxFem!Haku fic. Why am I throwing Zabuza into Highschool DxD some of you ask? Cause I'm bored with seeing just Naruto. Naruto's boring. We've seen the stuff he'll do (rasengan, kyuubi, sage jutsu, yaada yaada, yaada) Hell, I'd be interested in seeing other characters. Let's see some fics with Gaara as the main character, or the damn Akatsuki as a full peerage (that one sounds awesome just by itself. Pain as King, Konan as queen. Someone get on that, cause I'd sure as hell be interested in reading that.)**

**Anyways, I might make a poll or something later with a list of possible candidates to include in Zabuza's harem (if I, or you {the readers} want Zabuza to have a Harem) Aside from that, I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you all later.**


	2. Second Move

"Well, Zabuza, what do you think?" Haku asked as the pair continued their observation of the boy with the weird power inside of him.

"Hell will freeze over before I willingly waste a even single pawn on him." Zabuza ground out. He didn't care what his gut was telling him about the kids potential, he had a nearly a full day's worth of observation in the back of his head screaming one word. Pervert.

Zabuza would sooner eat his own scarf raw than put the brat in a position with extended exposure to Haku. _Cause either way, he'd get himself killed_. And frankly, it was bad etiquette and a waste of time to kill one of your own pawn.

"Ah, someone is approaching the target." Haku whispered to her master from their hiding place behind a tree. A simple illusion spell and no one could even tell the tree seemed to have gained some odd-shaped growths on the side.

"Haku, am I seeing this right?"

"Yes."

"What does a fallen angel want with the pervert?" Zabuza mused, as the girl confessed to the brat. Something was up, he just didn't know what. Yet.

"Haku, follow the target at a distance and see if you can find their base of operation. Disengage at the first sign of detection. Right now -we- are the unknowns, and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Understood, Zabuza." Haku nodded before leaning over to give the taller man a kiss on the cheek. "If they have any sense, I won't be back in time to help with dinner, so I hope you don't mind waiting."

Zabuza just grunted, drawing out a small giggle from his female companion. "Not the time Haku, we are on the job."

"Hai, hai~" Haku grinned as she disappeared in puff of smoke to track down her target. Apparently Issei-kun had a date tomorrow.

_Wonder if Zabuza would agree to a date some time this week?_ She thought as she cast another illusion spell over herself to blend into the crowd with her target insight.

_Well, we could have date night tonight.._ Haku smirked. That seemed like a good plan in her mind. After all they hadn't had one in the past week, so why wait any longer?

* * *

><p>Zabuza slowly shook his head once Haku was gone. That girl was going to be the death of him one day with the damn teasing. <em>Well, just be glad you have the chance to be teased.<em> The swordsman reminded himself before dispelling the illusion spell, stepping back onto the road.

He flipped through his iPod as he walked the crowded streets. One of most fascinating things he found in the human world was amount of music available. There was the purely instrumental songs that brought back memories of his past life, then there was everything else. A nearly infinite selection of genres.

It took him a minute, but eventually Zabuza settled on a song, nodding along quietly as he blended into the mob. _We'll live as spoiled royalty, lovers and partners. Partners in crime._

* * *

><p>"Settle down, settle down." The teacher called out as he walked in to take roll call, and if the rumors were true introduce the transfer students. But to Issei it was all icing on the cake. He was one the first step of his path to having a harem. Or specifically, he had his first date later tonight.<p>

Issei gave the typical 'Here' when his name was listed off, as his brain went to work planning out his date, only to be dragged out by Matsuda constantly poking his side.

"What?" Issei whispered as he glared at his fellow pervert for disturbing his thoughts of Yuuma and his great first date.

Matsuda didn't say a word, he simply pointed towards the front of the glass room with a goofy smile on his face.

Once Issei turned his head he could see why. Ignoring the six-foot tall, pale skinned gorilla with the scarf around his face, there was an angel in his classroom. One with pure white skin, long black hair that framed her face, warm dark-brown eyes and a smile that seemed to be aimed directly at him.

_Issei, you lucky bastard. It seems your luck is finally changing._

* * *

><p>"Good morning everyone. My name is Yuki Haku. It is a pleasure to meet you. I enjoy romance novels, cooking and arts and crafts. I look forward to getting to know all of you, and enjoying our time together as friends." Haku bowed slightly after her introduction, giving time for Zabuza to roll his eyes at the greeting.<p>

"Thank you Miss Yuki. It is nice to have you here as well, and now Mr.." The teacher looked down at his notes. Not to avoid the gaze of the large teenager before him, oh no. He'd been a teacher for years, and he'd dealt with enough delinquents, female or male that few of them had the chance to scare him. Still, the eyes on this one were enough to raise the caution flags. "Momochi."

"Zabuza Momochi. Likes. None of you. Dislikes. All of you. Dreams for the future. None of your business. I don't want to be your friend, so leave me alone, or I will make you leave me alone." Zabuza said in a dull monotone, like a child reading from a script. He was here for Haku, so long as she had fun, his school life was unimportant.

"Ah.. that was.. informative. Now Mr. Momochi, I do have to remind you of the school dress code, and ask you to please remove your scarf."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the teacher. "And if I say no?"

"Then you'll have to stay after class. You wouldn't want that on your first day, now would you?" The teacher threatened back, getting only a snort from the taller teen.

"Better men than you have tried Teach. Now shut up and tell us where we are sitting."

"Fine Mr. Momochi. For that you will be staying after school to clean up. As for your seating. You and Miss Yuki will be in the back of the class. Since you don't have text-" The teacher started only to be interrupted by Motohama's hand shooting into air.

"Sensei! Haku can borrow my text book for today!"

"Oh.." The teacher felt a sweat drop appear, as even he could see through the boys intentions. "That is rather generous of you Motohama. Now would anyone be willing to lend Zabuza a text-book."

To his surprise roughly five hands went up. _Oh you poor young girls._ The teacher thought with a shake of his head._ Thinking a bad boys the guy for you. I foresee a few broken hearts in the future._ "Well, how bout-"

"I'll share with Zabuza, Sensei." Haku spoke up beside him with a smile on her young face.

_Oh sweet lord._ The teacher sighed in defeat. "Alright Miss Yuki. Please take Motohama's text-book, and take your seat. We've wasted enough time as it is."

* * *

><p>"So, Motohama. Report." Issei asked as he took his seat for lunch, and the daily meeting of the Perverted Trio. The topic of today's meeting? The three sizes of the beautiful new transfer student, and complaining about the sudden popularity of the dusk skinned gorilla that came with her.<p>

"B85-H55-W82 cm." Motohama pushed up his glasses as he listed off his measurements with pride.

Matsuda nodded as he stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Not too busty, and for her size it works. Any ideas on what the colour of her panties and underwear?"

"White." Issei spoke up with finality. "An angel such as her would wear only white."

* * *

><p>"Che. Perverted men should just die." Muruyama muttered under her breath as she munched on her sandwich. "Specifically those three idiots."<p>

"Now, now. Boys will be boys Muruyama." Haku spoke up as she played with the food in her bento. Leftover beef stir fry from last night, along with rice balls and a few mini dango for desert. _Zabuza spoils me._ She thought with a small blush, thankful the school uniform had a collar to help hide the red marks running along her neck. In retrospect, she should have worn a turtleneck today.

"Please tell me you aren't defending their behavior, Haku. I know you are new here and don't want to make any enemies, but still. You don't have to be nice to those damn ero-monkeys." Katase warned as she began to pack away what remained of her lunch for after Kendo practice.

"Oh it's not that. I just find it kind of cute. Like a puppy that made a mess and still expects to get a treat." Haku popped a dango into her mouth, making a note to reward Zabuza later tonight for getting up early to buy them from the specialty shop.

"Pfft. A pet like that should be spade and neutered with prejudice." Katase snorted at the thought, getting a nod from Muruyama.

"Or simply thrown in the trash where they belong." Zabuza said as he placed his chair beside Haku to the shock of the other two girls. Their shock grew as the delinquent handed Haku a can of lemonade, only to receive a kiss on the cheek in return.

"Haku." The teenage swordsman warned.

"Zabuza." Haku teased back as her companion opened his lunch. "They are friends. You can open up a bit around them."

Zabuza looked over the stunned faces of Katase and Muruyama with a small grunt. "You've known them for half a day, if that." His answer got him a light smack to his chest as his chopsticks dove into Haku's bento box, swiping the cooked mushrooms and peppers, trading it for some of his beef.

"Eat. You're looking too thin lately." He commanded before starting himself, tuning out the conversation of the ladies to listen to the perverted trio, and keep a tally of exactly how many times they'd have to die to sooth his blood lust.

"So.. um.. how do you two know each other?" Muruyama asked as she looked over teen across from her. The academy uniform doing little to hide his muscular physique. The spiky black hair and constant scarf certainly gave him the appearance of a thug. Wait.. how is he even eating?

"Zabuza and I are partners." Haku answered with a bright smile on her face, to a blinking Katase, while Muruyama kept an eye on Zabuza. His food was held in the chopsticks one moment, then next it'd be gone and Zabuza's jaw could be seen moving.

_What?!_

Haku hid a grin at Muruyama's attempt to catch Zabuza in the act.

"Partners.. as in boyfriend and girlfriend?" Katase spoke cautiously, not knowing what the reaction to the question would be. Though she knew a few girls would pay an arm and a leg for this kind of information. He'd only been here for a few short hours, but the rumor mill had already spun a tale of forbidden love between the school's prince Yuuto Kiba and the mysterious transfer Zabuza Momochi.

Some say they were childhood friends, separated in a tragic move, only to be reunited through the power of love and fate. Others claimed them to be a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet in life. The number of different theories and stories grew by the hour, to the point even Katase couldn't keep half of the tales straight in her head. There was one constant though. It was a general agreement that in the love between Yuuto and Zabuza, Zabuza was the top.

"Yes. Yes we are."

"Oh. Well then." Katase sighed. _Guess I got the job of crushing everyone's dreams…_

Haku nodded as the conversation lulled, allowing her to finish her lunch. Even the beef._ Chicken is still better in stir fry_… She thought as she remembered the small argument the pair had last night as they discussed the differences between beef and chicken stir fry. Sadly, she lost that night. _L__east it's not rabbit._ The one meat Haku would eat in only the most dire circumstances.

* * *

><p>"Today was fun."<p>

Zabuza just snorted. To him it was like the academy all over again. Just worse. At least in the academy they taught something important, how to survive, instead of algebra and calculus. The former mist ninja saw a lot of cheating in his future. Specifically copying Haku's work.

"Oh don't be like that. You had fun too." Haku grinned as she slipped off her school slippers. Frankly the whole practice confused her, but she put it down to cultural differences.

"Excuse me, are you two Zabuza Momochi and Haku Yuki?"

_Great.._ Zabuza turned to find himself looking down on some blonde haired pretty boy. "And if we are?"

"Ah, I was sent here by my Club President to see if you had time for a chat."

"Not interested." Zabuza waved the boy off as he stepped around him, not sparing the kid a second glance. Devil or not.

"Please? It'll only take a moment. Miss Gremory really wishes to welcome you to the school."

That stopped Haku in her tracks. "Zabuza, why don't I start dinner tonight, while you talk to the Gremory Heir?"

Zabuza glared at Haku, not liking what she was asking him to do. They had each other's back. "Are you sure you can handle it by yourself?"

Haku nodded with a reassuring smile, leaving Zabuza to only sigh. "Fine. Just be careful. I don't know how sharp that new knife is, and I don't want you getting injured."

The blonde whispered a quiet "Thank you" to Haku who only smiled back.

"Alright fuck boy. Let's go talk to your master before I change my mind." Zabuza said as he took off towards the old school building. It hard the largest concentration of demonic power nearby, aside from a building inside that belonged to the student council. He might be incorrect and heading off in the wrong direction but screw it. _They are wasting my time, might as well waste some of theirs._

"Is he always like this?" The blonde boy asked, getting only a smile out of Haku.

"Oh, he's just getting used to the idea of a school where everyone isn't trying to kill each other." Haku said with a giggle, to the alarm of the blonde boy, before he remembered it was his job to show him the way.

"Thank you by the way!" The boy called back as he ran to catch up with Zabuza. Haku simply waved as the boy left.

_Poor, poor Zabuza._ Haku giggled, knowing she threw him to the wolves. But she could worry about that later. Today she had a fallen angel to follow and a date to oversee.

**AN: Yo, chapter dos. Haku and Zabuza haven't even had a full day at school and they are already ninja'ing things up. Next up to come, Zabuza meeting the Occult Research Club and more. Remember, there is a poll up on my profile for possible love interests for Zabuza and Haku, so don't forget to vote so I can take your opinions into consideration. Or leave a review, that also helps. (And for those of you saying that Zabuza really wouldn't want a harem since he has Haku, do not worry, I am taking that entirely into account for the voting and writing as well.)**

**On an interesting side note, as I was looking through the Highschool DxD wiki and the Naruto one, I found a rather interesting comparison. Asia and Haku are basically the same height, and weight, only off by Haku being a hair taller and a smug lighter. So I thought why not give them similar sizes for their chest, waists, hips and such. That's in case anyone was wondering. And while some may call that lazy writing, I call it efficiency.**

** Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter, I'll see you around next time~**


	3. Third Move

"So, how are you finding the school so far?" The blond boy asked.

"Educational." Was the only reply that Zabuza was willing to give that sounded remotely polite. _This was supposed to be Haku's job_. She was better with people, and had that soft smile that could melt hearts of stone, ice and diamond.

But no, here he was slowly walking behind the blonde kid for an impromptu tour of the school grounds as he attempted to make conversation.

"That's good. A solid education among friends is one of the greatest things in the world."

_Right behind a Chidori to the chest_. Thought Zabuza as he remembered his last run through the education system, specifically the small mountain of corpses he left as his entrance exam. So to the blonde kid he just gave a noncommittal grunt.

"We have a plethora of clubs and sports here, any of those interest you?"

"Haku made friends with some of the Kendo club. I might swing by there every so often for a bit of practice."

"Really now? I didn't peg you for the swordsman type." _Oh how wrong you are_. Zabuza thought with a hidden smile before the shorter boy continued. "I'm a bit of an amateur swordsman myself. Maybe one day we can have a spar, give each other a few tips? What do you say?"

Zabuza shrugged again, but filed the information away for later. A few minutes of silence later, after the boy realized that any attempts at a conversation would be met with some form of grunt or one word answer, they arrived at the old school building, or specifically the Occult Research Clubroom.

"After you." The blonde boy said, holding the door open for Zabuza, who brushed past him without a second glance.

Whatever expectations Zabuza had for meeting Lord Gremory's daughter were turned on his head. The man's study had reflected his personality almost to the last book. Where Lord Gremory's study was open, welcoming and bright, designed to lull a person into dropping their guard, his daughter went the opposite route.

The room was dusky, and almost oppressive with dim lighting, a pair of couches on opposite sides of a table. _The place even has a shower_.. Zabuza couldn't shake the feeling that he walked into a mafia safe house instead of a clubroom.

_Guess daddy owning the school has it's perks_. The masked devil thought as he took a quick glance at the other occupants of the room.

Picking out Lord Gremory's daughter was easy. Look for the blood red, crimson hair. Easy on the eyes at least. Zabuza thought with a snort as he gave the women sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in hand, a quick once over.

He wasn't looking forward to this meeting, especially with Haku running recon by herself. He trusted her with his life, but they were a two person cell and worked best when covering each other's back.

Still, the startling red hair that went down to her knees, hourglass figure and sapphire blue eyes with a tint of green was enough to grab his gaze. _Doubt she's a close range fighter with a chest like that… then again._ He knew the tales of Tsunade the Slug Princess. Breasts bigger than a man's head, yet could punch through a mountain like it was made of styrofoam.

He wrote it off as something to investigate later before moving on to the women standing behind her. Long black hair tied into a single ponytail held in place by an orange ribbon, an even larger chest that Rias, _What are they feeding these kids?_, black knee-high socks and a mischievous smile on her face.

None of that brought an immediate name to the front of his mind, so he simply nodded a greeting at the pair of them before Rias spoke up, interrupting his attempt to get a read on the last occupant of the room.

"Kiba! Just in time. And you must be Seb-" Rias started to speak as she set her cup down to properly greet Zabuza with a warm smile and a handshake.

"Zabuza."

"Ah, well it is nice of you to join us Zabuza." Rias ignored the interruption as if it never happened, holding out her hand as she simply went with the flow.

The spiky haired devil took it without hesitation, making sure to apply a bit of force. Not enough to hurt of course, but enough to remind her that he didn't come as a friend, he came as a possible enemy, driving her to take a second look.

Short, spiky black hair, pale olive skin that in the right light would look almost grey, cold brown eyes that seemed to weigh everything he saw before him like an accountant who only cared about the bottom line, and thin eyebrows that on anyone else would look out-of-place, but they seemed to suit him.

Of course that also lead to the natural curiosity, and a question many before her had asked themselves. _I wonder what he looks like without the scarf?_ Yes, the white scarf that he refused to take off that covered everything from his nose down.

"Oh the pleasure is all mine." Zabuza didn't even bother attempting to hide the sarcasm as he let go of Rias's hand.

"Well, I assume introductions are in order. I am Rias Gremory as you probably know. That is my Queen, Akeno Himejima." Rias gestured to the black-haired girl behind the couch, who bowed her head at the introduction.

_So that's the Priestess of Thunder… interesting._

"You've already met my knight, Yuuto Kiba." Rias's hand moved to point at the blonde boy that led him here. Zabuza took another peek through the corner of his vision. In his opinion the boy was a twig, but he wasn't something to be written off. Haku was a twig as well, but she was still the scarier half of the dynamic duo.

_The fact he looks like a pretty boy isn't help.. _Again, a criticism that could have been leveled at Haku multiple times in her life, current or past.

"And finally, the last member we have with us today is Koneko Toujou. My cute little rook." Rias stepped aside to allow Zabuza a glance at the white-haired midget on the couch next to where Rias previously sat, who seemed to be trying to stare him down.

Zabuza gave Akeno a small nod, before turning his attention back to Koneko. The little girl was giving him a look, one he'd seen before. It was a person who couldn't decide if they should approach something with caution, or simply stay away.

"What do you want Gremory? I'm a busy man, and I don't enjoy having my time wasted." Zabuza crossed his arms over his chest as he stood in place.

Rias lost her smile at being addressed by her clan's name. "I wanted to welcome you to the human world and explain a few rules for your stay. I'll keep this as brief as you want, Gaap."

_Oh, hit a nerve did I?_ Zabuza smirked under his scarf as he took a seat on the couch opposite to his hosts. "Good."

Rias took her seat as Kiba walked behind the couch to take his place next to Akeno, hands behind his back.

"Do you really need your peerage present in this meeting, Gremory? "

"They are my friends, and they are have just as much right to be here as anyone else." Rias shot back, keeping her tone level. "Besides, you wanted to keep this short, so why are you wasting time asking dumb questions?"

_Yep, definitely hit a nerve.._ Zabuza leaned back on the couch, spreading himself out as if he owned the room, instead of being a simple guest. His eyes scanned over the group, keeping an eye on them in the event of a trap. Call him paranoid, he didn't care. Paranoia had saved his life multiple times as a professional ninja, and even more as a missing-nin.

_Do none of these girl's wear bra's though…?_ He had to ask himself. Zabuza's sexual urges were always kept on a short leash, but the fact he could identify exactly where the nipples on every female occupant in the room with just a quick glance was slightly uncomfortable.

Zabuza just shrugged at Rias's question, motioning her for to get this over with.

* * *

><p>Half-way through the meeting Zabuza was starting to catch on that this wasn't just an informal meet and greet, with Rias playing the part of a kind host. The tip that gave it away? All of the rules, and suggestions she was giving him could have easily been written out on a pamphlet for him to read before class tomorrow.<p>

_No.. this is them judging me.. Kami.._ Zabuza suppressed the shot of pain that ran through him at using God's name. _Damn it all.. where is Haku when I need her.._

Eventually he had enough though and he decided to interrupt. "Gremory. What do you want from me? I don't mean my attention, cause you lost that once you started talking about massacring Human's for fun, and how I'd have to keep those urges to myself if I had them. So. No bullshit. What. Do. You. Want. With. Me?"

Rias blinked before letting out a breath in a quiet sigh. "Zabuza, I have heard some rather.. distressing rumors about you.. and I wanted to see if they were true…"

_Going to have to be more specific than that.._ The underworld was a melting pot of politics, gossip and false truths. One of his favourites was how Haku was actually a boy who liked to wear female clothing. _Oh if only they knew how true that was._ Other's concerned his relationship with his family, and more importantly his blood line as a member of one of the 72 Pillars.

"And?" Zabuza prompted, waiting to see what rumor it would be this time. Probably just doesn't want me to kill a student for making a pass on Haku. And he would to. The only issue is that they'd never find the evidence needed to pin the blame on him. Motive? Absolutely. Anything else would disappear into the mists of time.

"I wanted to offer you protection."

_...Wait.. what?_ Zabuza just blinked at her, which she took as a cue to continue.

"I've heard that you lack.. well.. to put it bluntly, you haven't inherited the abilities of the Gaap Clan and that due to your father's refusal to take another wife after your mother's death…"

"I am the last heir to a clan one generation away from extinction." Zabuza finished for her, fighting back a laugh.

Rias simply nodded. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you. Since you asked for me to be blunt, I'll be blunt. You have no friends, you have no allies. While other young devils are out, trying to make a name for themselves, doing everything in their power to be recognized, you are a recluse, known for having spent the last six years entire in your estate. Your clan consists solely of you and your father. I don't know how hard it is to be in your position, personally. But I wish to help you."

"Guide a lost soul into paradise." Zabuza snorted at the thought, watching as Rias's smile gained a sad edge.

"Yes. You and Haku don't have to be alone. We'd be happy to have you as an ally or a friend."

Zabuza chuckled and threw his head back, not letting Rias or her peerage get a good look at his face as he struggled to hold in the laughter at the giant misunderstanding. _The damn women sees me as some lost and angsty school boy!_ It took him a minute to get himself under control, bringing his head back down to wipe away a small tear.

"Your offer is… generous.." Zabuza bit his lip again before continuing, making sure to throw a small undertone of regret in his voice for effect. "But I'll be declining. I may not have the advantages most of the Pillars do. But I plan on rising through my own strength and ability. Now.. if there is nothing else, I'll be leaving. I have.. important things to do."

Rias simply nodded, with a small look of regret on her face. "The offer is still open if you ever wish to change your mind." After all, she had a bishop, a rook and a knight piece left along with all eight pawns. She knew Issei was hiding something strong in him, but she highly doubted she'd have to pay more than a couple of pawns to get at it.

Zabuza shrugged before standing up, giving the group another quick look over before bowing his head. "It has been.. interesting meeting you all.. good day." He forced himself to be polite, he didn't want to ruin their assumptions just yet after all.

* * *

><p>Once Zabuza was sure he was far enough away that none of Rias's peerage could hear him, nor was he being followed by a familiar, he started to laugh at the absurdity. He knew it. He just knew that those damn rumors would pay off.<p>

_The greatest weapon in any war is information... _And if the rumors of his ineptitude had reached the point where some devils were going to him a helping hand, he couldn't be happier.

With that thought in mind, Zabuza reached into his pocket, taking out his cellphone, quickly punching in Haku's number. He wanted a status report, as well as her current location. _I'll even sweeten the deal and tell her about this joke of a meeting._

* * *

><p>"What do you think?" Rias's questions was to noone in particular, but her peerage knew she wanted their opinion on the matter. "Kiba?"<p>

"..." Kiba sighed, wondering how he'd explain the feeling he was getting in the pit of his stomach. "I am conflicted. From his physique and what little conversation I could get out of him on the way here, I'd say he'd probably hold his own in a brawl, and he apparently knows his way around a sword, but I can't say anything for certain."

"And his personality?"

Again, Kiba started with silence. "I don't know. He could be acting, but I don't see why. We are all on the same side.. so he could just be anti-social?" The blonde knight offered up, before Akeno choose to voice her opinion.

"He's wearing a mask, I just can't tell about what… He doesn't care for formality, that much is obvious but I don't know if the hostility is a defense mechanism or if he also doesn't care what people think of him… We simply don't know.. has Sona shown any interest in him?"

Rias shook her head at the mention of her best friend and rival. "No. She said she's content to observe as things come up. Something about not having enough solid evidence to make a proper judgement on."

Akeno hummed in approval at that. "I have to agree with her on that. Everything we know about him is either second-hand or pure rumors."

"Dangerous…" Koneko spoke up, drawing the attention of her friends.

"What do you mean Koneko?" Kiba scratched his chin, trying to think of anything in the past hour or so that could be an indication that Zabuza was dangerous… nothing came to mind. _An arrogant prick, sure but dangerous?_

"Smells like blood… lots and lots of blood." Was Koneko's only response before she went back to snacking on her usual treats.

"I see.. we'll watch him for now… but for now." Rias eyed the crimson magical circle that appeared before her. _Guess it's show time._ She thought with a small smile, honestly looking forward to adding a cute little brother to her peerage.

**AN: Next chapter is where the action begins, now that everyone has met, more or less. Anyways, thank ya for the reviews and votes so far. Aside from that, you know the drill (review or vote for the pairings ya want or don't want.)~ I look forward to the next chapter and hope to see you again~ Have fun**


	4. Fourth Move

In retrospect, Zabuza wasn't sure why he was here. _Well that's a lie. _He knew exactly why he was here, sprawled out on a tree branch as he watched three fallen angels get blown to oblivion by the destructive power of one, Rias Gremory, through the scope of a modified sniper rifle.

Personally, he thought his fellow devils, even the angels, fallen or not, didn't put enough faith in a gun. He could certainly see why they phased out swords and other mêlée weapons as the primary tool for a massacre. Not that he was ever going to admit that swordsmanship was archaic and pointless in this day and age.

With his skills, and a bit of warning, Zabuza was sure he could take out nearly anyone armed with only a gun. But that wasn't the point. To Zabuza, the PGM Hecate II sniper rifle and it's distant cousin, the far removed .44 Magnum Revolver were the logical next step when he found that throwing knives, kunai and shurikens weren't as easy to get as back in his previous life.

So years ago Zabuza made a choice. He had a weapon for close range, something that if the scene through his scope and the listening device that Haku had placed Issei early today were of any indication, he'd be using rather soon. With that in mind, he decided to go with a weapon designed solely for killing from afar.

Of course, his ammo supply was a lot more limited than he wished for. He'd yet to figure out sealing, or storing components in an alternate dimension, so he was stuck with a total of fourteen shots with the rifle and a couple dozen shots with the revolver. Well, at least at a speed he was willing to deem useable in combat. Out side of combat he had more then enough time to summon and de-summon supplies as he needed.

Haku liked to claim that for their purpose, the guns had a little too much power. Zabuza disagreed. He was a heavy believer in the fact that the concept of overkill was just that. A simple concept and had no place in reality.

_If you are going to kill something after all, you may as well go to the effort of making sure it stays dead. _Thought the man with a rifle designed to punch through tanks, and a pistol that could take a man's arm off at thirty paces. The fact he had the bullet's blessed by a local priest, and soaked in holy water when not in use was his simple little addition for any devil that decided to get uppity, or specifically made a pass on Haku.

Which leads us back to the current situation, or specifically how Haku was sitting next to him, listening to his Ipod as she killed time before he gave her the signal that the operation was to begin.

They had spent the last few days on observation outside of school, either shadowing the Gremory Peerage as Issei was shown the robes of devil-hood, or keeping an eye on the quartet of Fallen Angels that had made it their mission to make Issei's life hell for one reason or another.

In his opinion, Zabuza found it one of the most boring stake out's in his career, with Rias and Akeno explaining concepts he'd known since childhood… his second childhood to the perverted pawn. The only interesting parts was watching the Stray Devil extermination, allowing him to confirm a few suspicions as well as get a glimpse at the enemy strength. Even Issei's, oddly enough.

_How the hell the brat's worth 8 pieces is beyond me..._The swordsman turned temporary sniper thought as he readjusted his sights.

Rias and her posse were heading inside. _Show time._From their vantage point, Zabuza could see the majority of the church's interior, specifically where the last of the Fallen Angel's was getting her nice ass handed to her on a silver platter.

If anything, Zabuza felt a tinge of pity for the girl. Haku's familiars had picked up enough of the groups conversations that he had a rough guess of what their intentions were, and he couldn't blame them for trying what they did. _It's war. You do what it takes to win._

The fact that Issei's sudden burst in power was giving him flashback's to the Kyubi brat's 'victory' over Haku wasn't helping either. His whole gut was screaming at him to either kill the pervert now before he snowballs into whatever equivalent of the Kyubi brat this world had or wait and suffer through his choice. _Sadly, I'm going to take the stupid choice._

And not put a bullet in his head. _Yet. Not put a bullet in his head, yet._

Zabuza gave Haku's leg a light tap, drawing her attention out of whatever sugary love song was currently tainting his beloved music player.

"Take the rifle, you know the drill." He said as he stood up, Haku giving him a quick kiss on the cheek for 'Good luck' before he took off towards the church in the process of making quite possibly his second biggest mistake of the night.

_Least I got a kiss before my execution.. _Zabuza thought with a grim chuckle.

* * *

><p>Haku watched through the scope as Zabuza quickly raced through the trees, sparing the church a quick glance, wincing as a particularly nasty punch caught the fallen angel, <em>Raynare, her name's Raynare<em>, in the face.

Least Issei had no intentions of getting this over with quickly, allowing Haku to thank whatever spirit was watching over her and her partner as she saw Zabuza create a few clones as he ran, already knowing what their job was.

With one last glance at Zabuza, Haku leveled the rifle back towards the church, putting the red-haired scalp of Rias Gremory in her sights. _I didn't believe him before but is she really not wearing a bra? _Haku asked herself as she watched Ria's chest bounce around in an almost hypnotic fashion, before Haku shook her head, clearing away unnecessary thoughts for the task at hand.

Haku knew her orders were if Rias turned into a threat, she was to blow out a knee cap, but this was one of those rare occasions where she was willing to go against Zabuza. If Rias did anything more than scratch Zabuza, she was getting an anti-armor round right between the eyes, faster than she could say 'Hail Satan', _repercussions be damned_.

* * *

><p><em>That asshole! Leaving me like this! I don't want to die! Not like this! Not like second-rate trash, thrown to the dogs! <em>Raynare thought as the tears flowed freely. Raynare knew she was going to die, but she sure as -hell- was going to be cursing Freed to her last breath, when she wasn't pleading for Issei to spare her.

Was she a coward for trying to beg for her life? Probably absolutely but only the truly content or an idiot can face death with an actual smile on their lips, and people such as that were as rare as they came.

She was just like any other angel, devil, or human in her last moments. She wanted to live, she wanted a future, and at this point she was willing to give anything and everything she had just for a chance at seeing another sun rise.

So it really came as no surprise to her that the moment the red-haired bitch agreed to kill in place of Issei, that as soon as the glowing, crimson magical circle appeared before her, she, a fallen angel gave one last prayer to a God that had long since forsaken her as the mass of pure destructive power came to finally end her.

Later she would reflect that God did answer her. In a pair of baggy pin striped pants that threatened to slide off his waist in a light breeze and a set of cow print arm-warmers, but he answered her prayers.

* * *

><p>Rias blinked at the scene before her. She had just annihilated the last of the fallen angels who had the audacity to try to hurt one of her servants. There was nothing left of the women that killed her cute little pawn not once but twice. Nothing but ashes and smoldering marble.<p>

Sadly that was not the reality before her. No, instead of black marks and ruined floors, there stood some monstrosity of a sword embedded directly between her and Raynare, it's presence almost mocking her since she hadn't even seen, or heard any indication of the weapons arrival. By the stunned faces on her peerage, she wasn't the only one.

_What kind of monster wields something like this…_Rias thought as she gave the sword a quick look over, traveling from the bottom, upwards to the figure sitting calmly on the butt of the hilt..

The tip of the blade had sunk into the marble floor a few inches, but even then she could still see the circular cut out near the top, wide enough for a person's head to fit through with ease.

_It must be at least 6 feet tall… and it's almost as wide as my hips…_Rias thought as she took in the bone white edge and dull grey centre, working her way up to see the semi-circular notch closer to the handle. This was a sword that with a decent amount of strength behind it could cut through her with ease.

The worst part though was the aura that seemed to radiate from it, a dark purple miasma that seemed to dance in loose swirls around the blade. Rias even swore she saw a face grinning at her in the transparent clouds.

"Zabu..za.." Kiba finally found his voice, even though he was the one examining the blade the closest. He didn't even have to touch it to know what it was. A demonic sword, and a particularly nasty one at that.

Rias looked up, and sure enough there was Zabuza, feet on the guard of his blade as he lightly rested against the tip of the handle.

"Yo." Zabuza said while doing his best to imitate the smile Kakashi gave his brats before getting his weak ass thrown into the water prison technique.

Again Rias could only blink. She couldn't think of any reason why Zabuza of all people would be here. The fallen angels were obviously working by themselves, and he shouldn't even know about the fight tonight with the barrier up.

But there he was, sitting on the sword, looking down on them like it was the most natural thing in the world. _Hell, he's not even in uniform._She thought.

And she was right, while her peerage was still in their school uniform, Zabuza seemed to be in his casual clothes. _Or his combat gear. _Her cautious side spoke up as she took the sight in.

If Rias had ran into Zabuza anywhere else, she'd have guessed he was on his way to play basketball, with a dusky blue, sleeveless jersey, dark, baggy pinstriped pants with more pockets than she was willing to count at the time which seemed to be hanging dangerously low, a clean pair of sneakers, and his ever present white scarf with the ends attached to _cow print arm warmers of all things.._

"Explain yourself." Rias finally said, not at all happy with this sudden turn of events.

"And a good evening to you to Gremory." Zabuza said, enjoying the sight of Rias's frown gaining a few more lines at his chosen way of addressing her. In the past few days, they had talked a total of two more times and even then it had only been a casual greeting in the hallway.

Still had a huge impact in the school's rumor mill, especially with Issei's sudden stroke of luck. Many wondered what exactly they were missing that in the space of a day the beloved Rias Gremory was giving the time of day to not only the new transfer students but one of the resident perverts.

The common theory was that Zabuza somehow blackmailed her or threatened her, at least among those who didn't enjoy the teenagers gruff nature and absolute lack of a fuck with school, or the students. Those that knew a bit more about him, or specifically knew Haku would just guess he knew Rias through Haku somehow.

As for Issei, the only theory that held any semblance of being true was that he somehow made a deal with the devil. It was the only possibility. Sadly the students may never know.

"Not the time Gaap. Explain. Now." Rias glared up at the swordsman, demanding an answer.

"Was around, saw the barrier, got curious." Zabuza shrugged as he lied through his teeth with practice ease.

"So you saw that we were fighting, and then saved -her-." Rias's eyes darted to the fallen angel who was staring up at Zabuza's back with a mix of shock and awe, wisely keeping her mouth shut to see how this played out. "Why? And keep in mind, choose your answers carefully. I don't enjoy it when my servants are threatened or harmed… so if you had anything to do with this, tell me now and I'll make your death painless."

Zabuza laughed as if he was disgusted at the idea. "If I had any hand in this, Issei's corpse would have been fish food for the past four days and you'd have had no idea I was even involved, much less that Issei was even dead. No, he'd simply. Fade into the mist. Unlike the women cowering behind my sword, I'm a professional."

"Oh my, oh my. Brave words there…" Akeno smirked as Issei paled at the thought of being chopped up by the sword before him.

Rias meanwhile mulled over Zabuza's words. "Then why are you protecting the fallen angel?" She finally decided to ask the million dollar question.

And in response, she got a million dollar answer. "I have a bad habit of picking up broken birds. What can I say." Sadly it was a million dollars worth of crap. Possibly with a two cents of truth mixed in.

"And what do you plan on doing with her?" Rias was really hoping his answer was either question her for information, or something that wasn't complete bullshit.

"I was going to ask her to join my peerage."

Rias could have heard a pin drop, and even Raynare blinked at the offer.

"Not a chance."

Zabuza raised an eyebrow at Rias's declaration. "And who are you to stop me?"

"The master of the servant she killed, twice. Blood for blood."

"Then let blood pay for blood. But I'm not going to let you kill her. How bout we make a deal, Gremory? I am after all a mercenary."

"What, kind of deal?" Rias didn't want to admit it, but Zabuza was starting to get on her nerves in a way that reminded her of Riser but worse. Riser was an arrogant, self-centered ass whose brain was in his balls nine times out of ten, but at least he had a reason for being a prick. After all, when you are immortal, what's the worst that can happen? You've basically won the lottery of life at that point.

But no. Here was Zabuza, looking down on her, toying with her, possibly bluffing on a joker and an uno card and she couldn't shake the feeling she was being played with. Best case scenario? She kills the fallen angel but gains an enemy among one of the few pillars remaining. Worst case? Zabuza ends up dead and the scandal ruins her beyond any hope of recovery.

"Simple. I give Issei a gun or a knife. His choice, and he kills the women. I'll give him two minutes, if he can bring himself to do, problem solved. I walk away owing you for wasted time. But, if he can't." Zabuza's grin could almost be seen through the fabric of his scarf. "She comes with me."

Rias spared Issei a look to see what kind of condition he was in, and it wasn't good. Turning her attention back to Zabuza she simply sighed. "No need.."

"Wait! Prez, are we really going to let her get away with this?! After all that's happened to Asia?! And what the hell is Zabuza doing here anyways!" Issei shouted at the turn of events.

_Apparently no one filled him in. _"I'll give you three guesses why I'm here boy. And trust me, I'm no angel." Zabuza ignored Issei's glare as he continued. "Besides, what right do you have to complain. You threw away your chance at revenge the moment you asked your precious president to do it for you."

"B-"

"Spare me the excuses, cause frankly I don't care. You had shown weakness and hesitation against the enemy. Something that'll get you and your comrade's killed, or worse one day. Now I suggest you get to reviving the priestess before I decide to get greedy and take her for myself."

"Why you gorrilla bastard!-"

"Issei, enough. Grab Asia. We'll talk about this later." Rias spoke up, her tone not leaving room for her pawn to argue.

"Fine, Prez." Isse sent Zabuza one last glare before walking over to where Asia lay. With her eyes closed she almost seemed asleep.

Rias looked at the retreating form of her pawn, before turning her head to Akeno, hoping she had any advice or an alternate course of action. _This whole things leaves a bad taste in my mouth. _Sadly her queen only shook her head, and Kiba was had gone back to staring at the sword like it was a puzzle box that he had to solve.

"This isn't over Gaap.." The Gremory Heir warned, getting another snort from Zabuza, not having moved an inch from his precarious seat on his sword. "We'll talk tomorrow."

"Gremory, a bit of advice. If you are going to kill someone, make sure you burn the body beyond a crisp instead of leaving them for dead. After all, we are all devils, and some of them might be willing to sell their soul."

Zabuza huffed out as Rias summoned the magical circle to take her peerage back to the clubroom. The red-head gave him one last glare before disappearing into a flash of light.

* * *

><p>"So.. um.. Zabuza was it?" Raynare finally spoke up once the devils left.<p>

"Women, can you walk?" Zabuza didn't even turn to face her, still sitting on his sword, staring at the spot Gremory and her peerage left from.

"Um.." Raynare tried to stand up, making a valiant attempt in her own opinion, but found it in vain as she fell back to the floor, landing on her ass. _Least it's not my face._After all, she was going to be joining this man's peerage, the least she could do is not embarrass herself any more in her attempt at a first impression.

"I'll take that as no." Zabuza finally decided that it was time to go. He didn't want to leave the device unattended, just for the sheer value it held. He could outfit an army with the damn thing if he had enough time. _Find the sacred gear, and find someone who can actually use it with competence.. _Zabuza wasn't a firm believer in fate, and thought the God who was willing to give away items of power such as a Sacred Gear to any old chump deserved to be pushing up daisies somewhere.

Zabuza flicked his wrist,a murky purple magical circle appearing under his sword to put it back in storage as he picked Raynare up in a bridal carry, the fallen angel unable to meet his eyes for some reason.

The remains of the stood little chance against Zabuza's foot as he kicked it down. Could he have teleported back home? Absolutely, but that'd be taking the easy way, and he could use the exercise after a week of stake out and info gathering.

_Not that she weighs any more than half of Kasumi.. _Zabuza snorted as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring the wind and the weird looks from Raynare. _Haku and the clones will be back home by now… guess that only leaves the 'fun' part.._The swordsman thought with a tired sigh, kind of wishing today would just end.


	5. Fifth Move

Haku purred quietly as she shifted around, still half asleep from a tiring night of assisting in healing two people back from the brink of death and another from a beating that made death look like a mercy. Zabuza's clones had done their job bringing back the fallen angels to her for aid.

_Ugh.. too early.._The small devil thought as she cracked an eye open to glance at the clock. Six in the morning. _Going back to sleep now, night night. _Haku yawned as she put her head back down on her favorite and only pillow, Zabuza's bare chest.

It was a habit years in the making, with Haku being rather short for her age and Zabuza just being Zabuza, he was the perfect size for a body pillow, a fact she exploited ruthlessly every night as she always went to bed at his side, only to find herself on top of him the next morning.

Haku took a quick glance at the other occupants of the bed flanking Zabuza at his sides, three more bodies than usual sharing the giant bed. To her slight ire, they seemed to have taken a page out of her book and had piled as close to Zabuza as they could get, probably wanting to stick close to the source of warmth under all the sheets.

_Well.. this was my decision.. _Haku thought as she closed her eyes, giving Zabuza one last good night kiss before drifting back to sleep as she pushed away any regrets. Zabuza was a big boy, and she was more than willing to share. _Just so long as I get first dibs on everything. _She didn't fight the grin spreading across her face.

* * *

><p>Raynare wasn't sure where she was. The last thing she remembered was begging for her life and something about praying. She didn't remember the church ever having a bed large enough to fit her, Mittelt and Kalawarner, much less with room to spare.<p>

Looking around only brought more questions to mind. The walls painted a deep ocean blue, with an ornate wooden nightstand on either side of the bed, but aside from the dull white carpet flooring and pair of window's letting light in, it was rather spartan place.

As Raynare stretched, letting out a quiet yawn, the events of last night came flooding back to her, specifically the part where she was rescued and carried across town by some handsome devil. _Literally.._

Who apparently, lived up to his races reputation for perversion by having stripped her down and changed her clothes while she slept. Glancing over at Mittelt and Kalawarner for the second time showed that they too had been stripped down, the trio wearing nothing more than loose-fitting t-shirts with the names of vaguely familiar human bands printed across the front.

On Mittelt it was fine, the hem of the shirt came down almost to her knees, but Raynare could see a few issues for herself and Kalawarner. _I'm fine with my body, but I am not going to indulge some weirdo's fantasy of walking around like this for long…_

It's not like Fallen Angel didn't mind, it's just that she didn't expect the stranger to be so bold. They'd barely met and he'd already seen everything. A girl had to have some mystery after all. She'd only transformed in front of Issei the first time as a small mercy to a dying man. _Let the pervert catch a glimpse of a beautiful women once in his life before being tossed aside._

But no, fate had other plans. Specifically getting thrown out of the fallen angels for doing her duty, or at least trying to go above and beyond. _Well screw Azazel and Shemhazai.. I have a new master now. _Raynare thought with a satisfied smile. A master that might actually appreciate her effort.

"Mmm.." Mittelt groaned as she sat up, staring at the room blankly. "Is this the afterlife?" A rather foolish question from an angel, but Raynare didn't comment, seeing how the girl was half asleep.

"Well, Raynare's here, so it's probably hell." Kalawarner didn't even look up as she spoke.

"Shut up Hag."

"Brat."

Mittelt just giggled at the exchange before getting a glare from the elder women which quickly shut her up, but not before she stuck her tongue out at the pair of them.

Silence descended over the trio as the question Mittelt and Kalawarner wanted to avoid for as long as possible hung over the group.

It was Kalawarner who finally broke the silence after ten minutes of the ladies collectively avoid each other's gaze. "We failed, didn't we?"

Raynare simply nodded.

"And Dohnaseek?" None of the ladies particularly liked the single male of their group, but he was still a comrade, and they hoped he'd at least gotten away or something.

"I.. don't know honestly…"

"I see.. what are we going to tell Azalel?" Kalawarner went straight to the next awkward question, but before Raynare could mention she had technically changed sides Mittelt spoke up.

"Screw him! All we tried to do was help, and he kicked us out! Frankly, I'm happy we failed. Now I can spend my days doing something fun instead of listening to those stuffy old men boss us around."

"We can't just leave him like that! After all, he must have had a hand in saving us, right Raynare?" Kalawarner turned towards the unofficial leader of the group. After all, in her mind the only one who'd save them is a fellow fallen angel. Specifically one acting under Azalel's orders in light of their attempts to get back in his good graces.

"Well.." Raynare avoided the older angels gaze, not wanting to be the one to break her heart and apparently the universe was on her side as the door behind her swung open.

* * *

><p>It was times like now, that Zabuza was regretting his decision to not include a guest room on the list of requirements for his base of operations in the human world or at least not sound proof his room. In hindsight it makes sense, but back then he just assumed that he'd find a human that already had a home.<p>

At worst, he'd find a single individual who could sleep on the couch for a night until other arrangements were made. He did not expect two half dead fallen angels with their chew toy of a leader having to crash on his bed.

The kicker was that Haku wouldn't let him sleep on the couch, saying something about any of them being offended about waking up in bed with a stranger was their own problem for nearly getting themselves killed, along with a whispered statement asking the world 'who wouldn't want to wake up next to him.'

_Funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same._Even in his second run through, he still couldn't quite understand how her mind worked. _It's just too nice.._

So there he was, standing outside the door to his room, fresh from his shower, wearing nothing more than a grey towel wrapped around his waist, praying to Satan himself that his guests were still asleep so he could grab a pair of sweatpants. _Shirts are always optional._

Unfortunately his prayers went unanswered, for as soon as the door was open, three sets of eyes were staring at him. Well, two were staring at him, and one was trying to decide whether to stare or try to look at the ground.

"Good. Food's downstairs. Now out, I'm getting changed. We'll talk over breakfast." Zabuza said without missing a beat, like it was standard for him to walk into a room of scantily clad women, half-naked while demanding them to leave.

Raynare for her part nodded and left without a second glance, Kalawarner following behind her shortly, making sure to give Zabuza a mistrustful glare before leaving the room. This left only Zabuza and Mittelt, the latter sitting on the bed with a shit eating grin and no intentions on leaving by her own free will.

"Well?" The blonde fallen angel said as Zabuza tried to stare her down. "Are you going to get changed or not?" She finished with the same innocent smile on her face, her eyes never leaving Zabuza.

_When in doubt, use violence._Zabuza sighed to himself, making sure his towel was secure before walking over to stand in front of Mittelt who simply giggled.

"My, aren't you forward. No 'hi, hello, how are you?', right to the point. I like that in a big hunk of man such as yourself." The blonde said as she reached out to touch his abs.

Ignoring her, Zabuza reached his hand around her, picking her up by the scruff of her next. He'd carried sacks of groceries that were heavier than the struggling blonde child.

"Hey! Put me down! I'm not a kid, I can walk just fine thank you! You're really pushing it buddy, I was going to give you a kiss from pretty little me as a reward for letting us stay the night, but oh no. Not anymore! You're on my shit li-"

Zabuza dropped Mittelt on her ass outside his door, before closing it without a second glance at the angel's pouting face.

* * *

><p>"Ah, just in time. Come come, don't be shy, we have plenty to go around." Haku smiled as she saw the two older fallen angels come down the stairs into the kitchen.<p>

Today was her turn to cook, and since she was now cooking for five instead of two she decided to go with a simple breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Haku set down the last of the plates on the island counter in front of her as she waved the angels to come closer.

To Raynare's amusement, Haku was also wearing nothing more than a button up dress shirt. The fallen angel wrote it off as one of the tall man's quirks.

"I'm not going to bite, but the food will get cold. And if you aren't feeling like something hot, we do have cereal somewhere around here…" Haku trailed off, trying to remember where exactly she put it as Raynare and Kalawarner took their places on the other side of the counter.

"Thank you… now who are you, what are we doing here, and did Azalel send you?" Kalawarner asked as she watched Raynare picked up a fork to slowly but eagerly attack the food set before her.

Haku just smiled at the question. "Don't worry, we aren't enemies. But we'll talk once Zabuza and.."

"Mittelt." Raynare supplied the name for her.

"Mittelt come down stairs. Zabuza doesn't like having to explain things more than once if he can help it." Haku finished with a shrug before turning back to the kitchen to get the cereal in case Mittelt wanted some.

Not willing to take her situation at face value, Kalawarner leaned over to whisper in Raynare's ear. "Once Mittelt comes down, let's make a break for it. They aren't telling us something…"

"Don't worry you hag.. I promise, these people don't mean us any harm. If they wanted us dead, they'd have left us to the Gremory bitch." Was Raynare's hushed response as she glanced around the large room that took up the majority of the first floor.

While the bedroom they awoke in only had the bare necessities, the room they sat in now definitely had some work done on it. The room was split into two halves, separated by the marble-topped counter she sat at. On one side was a full kitchen with white tile flooring and light blue walls, while behind her was three couches set up in a horseshoe shape, centered around a large television, with polished hardwood underneath. That wasn't including the multitude of pictures she'd passed in the hallways or in the room itself, all of two people, one with a bright smile on her face at all times, and the other hidden under a white scarf.

_Obviously my new master isn't strapped for cash.. _Raynare thought with a smirk. _Now if only he could have went the extra mile to get us a pair of pants. _The fallen angel's smirk disappeared as quickly as it came up, after all the breeze wasn't exactly pleasant.

Haku seemed to notice her discomfort. "Don't worry. I was the one to change you. Zabuza is a lot of things, but he'd never do that to a girl. You aren't his type after all." She said with a reassuring smile, the still drove spikes into the fallen angels heart.

_Not his type.. is he gay? _Cause in Raynare's humble opinion of herself, she had the body of the perfect women, and if someone couldn't see that they needed to get their eyes or taste checked. Regardless, she had to ask.

"What is his type then?"

Kalawarner for her part just tuned to conversation out as Mittelt took her place next to her, a disgruntled pout on her face, muttering about how she was missing a good show right now cause the guy was a prude.

"Loyalty." Zabuza said as he followed shortly behind Mittelt, drawing the eyes of the room's occupants and a smile from Haku at his attire. Nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants. "I reward and appreciate loyalty above all else. Do your job, do it well and you will be rewarded in kind."

Zabuza took his place on the other side of the counter, pouring himself a bowl of cereal, shooting a giggling Haku a glare as she kissed his cheek good morning before he continued. "Betray me, and I will kill you. There is no middle ground. Now, I know her name." He pointed to Raynare.

"But I don't know yours, or yours." His finger went to Kalawarner and Mittelt, the latter speaking up first in her same chipper tone.

"Mittelt, nice to meet you handsome. But you can call me whatever you want with arms like those." The blonde haired angel grinned, thanking her lucky stars. Not only was she dead, but she was getting an early Christmas present with the show before her.

Zabuza just nodded before turning his gaze to Kalawarner, who met him halfway, not wanting to cooperate with an unknown quantity. But after a few seconds, she gave in, still not breaking eye contact in her clipped response. "Kalawarner."

"Good. This is Haku." Haku smiled and bowed politely, a few strands of loose hair falling in front of her face before being absentmindedly brushed aside . "I am Zabuza. As Raynare has probably already said, we are the ones who saved you last night. We wanted to get all four of you, but we couldn't find the body of the big guy."

"We apologize for that. Though if you wish, we could still give him a proper burial rights if you wish?" Haku's offer only got a noncommittal shrug from the trio. Again, they were comrades mostly through necessity, and _prayers don't bring the dead back, so what's the point_, was the prevailing thought running through their heads.

"Alright. Now I offer you a choice. I did not save you out of the good of my heart." _What little I actually have. _Zabuza looked over the three of them, Raynare knowing what was coming up next. "You may leave and do as you wish, but know this. Your actions have made you a target to not only the devils but your fellow fallen angels as well."

He grinned at the small shudder that ran down Mittelt's back, she obviously didn't enjoy the thought of being on the run from all three factions at once.

"Or, you may join me. As part of my peerage, you'll be safe from my fellow devils."

"And why should we trust you to protect us? You are a devil. Your race lies, cheats and steals as they wish." Kalawarner interrupted, getting a shrug out Zabuza before he leaned forward, his face just inches away from his own. To her credit, she didn't back down, even as she saw the unnaturally pointed teeth as he spoke.

"All true. But I am a professional before all else. Join me, you will be given a roof over your head, food in your gut, clothes on your back, a purpose to live and in time the training to do as you wish in the world. You will become my tools, sharpened and honed under my hand. In return, you will follow one rule, and one rule only. My word, is law."

Zabuza shifted to the side, this time staring down Mittelt. "I do not ask for a pledge of loyalty. Nor an oath that you serve me till death. Words are nothing to me. Do as I command and you will be compensated. I am a greedy demon, but I treat my tools right if they work for it."

Again Zabuza shifted, coming face to face with Raynare this time. "Now, you have until tomorrow to make your choice. Join me, or leave." He leaned back, glancing at Haku trying to read her face. Just like he thought, maybe a bit too over dramatic.

Haku leaned her head against his arm as she waited for the angel's decisions.

"I'll do it." Raynare said before going back to her food, still unable to meet Zabuza's gaze.

"Depends.. what is your policy on wearing shirts around the house.. is this," Mittelt waved her hand up and down to indicate Zabuza's toned body, "Just a negotiation tactic to ensnare little old me, or…"

"Zabuza rarely wears a shirt unless we are expecting company or plan on going out." Haku met Mittelt's eyes. Later Zabuza would reflect that the two shortest members of his peerage seemed to have some conversation on a wavelength he wasn't privy too.

"In that case! Sign me up Big Sis."

Kalawarner sighed, her choices now limited in her view to servitude with some devil or facing the world alone. _Not the best possible position to be in.._ "Fine.. I will work for you.. for now."

"The door is open at anytime you wish to leave. I will not stop you." Zabuza picked up his bowl of cereal and a spoon. "Now, finish eating, tell Haku your sizes and what kind of clothes you'd like then come down to the basement. We start training, today."

Haku hid a giggle at the mention of training, remember her initial lessons under Zabuza. _Oh they'll be fine._ She thought as the four girls began to compare and fight over their preferred style of clothes.

* * *

><p>Issei squirmed under Rias's gaze. "What do you mean, they aren't there?"<p>

"Well.. Prez.. they didn't show up to class today.." The second year said as Rias's scowl grew.

"I see.." _I didn't expect Gaap to be so petty.. If he won't come to us, we'll go to him. _Rias thought to herself. "No matter. If he wants to be difficult, two can play at that game."

**AN: Yo, new chapter. But yes, hope you all liked it. There shall be fights and drama next chapter~ (I pinky swear) Anyways. Ya, changed the title, for reasons such as not getting my story confused with another author's work as it was brought to my attention. (On a completely unrelated note, if you get bored and are looking for a good read, check out Demon Among Devilsby The Crimson Lord, a Persona/Highschool DxD fanfic) Apparently I copied the name of a title unintentionally, and for that I apologize. Regardless, I would like to mention that I'll be closing the poll down on the third, so get those votes in now while you can. Until next time~**


	6. Sixth Move

Issei wasn't sure what he expected Zabuza's house to be like. A foreboding castle with tall spires and bats flying around was not only a little too cliche and over dramatic for the masked gorilla, but they were in the middle of Tokyo.

Still, the fact that Rias led them to a quiet residential area just didn't seem to fit in his mind. Of course the only time he'd actually spoken to Zabuza was their short.. _well not a conversation.. more like interrupted shouting match.. _back at the church.

Regardless, he stuck close to Asia's side as they continued down the walkway.

"Prez, are you sure you got the right address?" Issei finally asked as the Gremory peerage stopped in front of the plain two story house.

"I'm sure.. This was the address in the registry." Was Rias's response, even if she didn't believe it either. Thankfully the universe sent them an answer.

"Hey you punks! No loitering or I'll call the police!" A shrill voice called out from behind them, startling Issei while the rest simply turned around to look at the old lady.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. We were just looking for a friend's house. You wouldn't happen to know if this is the home of Zabuza Momochi." Rias asked with a polite smile.

The woman's demeanor changed at the question, her frown gaining a playful edge. "Friends of Haku, are you? Yes, that's their house…" She said before turning on her heels to yell at her own house. "Haku! You got friends over and they are looking for your delinquent boyfriend!"

_An impressive set of lungs on her.. _Was the collective thought at the shouting, while Koneko covered her ringing ears.

The door opened, Haku peeking her head out. "Auntie, please don't shout. You know how 's been lately with.."

Auntie simply waved Haku's accusations away. "In my day, a bit of shouting would do a young mother good. Now scoot. You got friends over. I'll finish the baking myself. I need an excuse to get you out my house. You're spoiling an old woman to death."

"I do my best Auntie." Haku smiled back as she stepped outside in a chocolate and flour stained t-shirt and jeans. "If you need anything..."

"Yes yes, call you. You're giving me a toothache Haku, go see the brats want your hoodlum of a husband for."

"Not my husband Auntie." Haku blushed at the accusation, getting a snort from the elder woman.

"Yet Haku. Yet. I've seen the way you look at him. He's wrapped around your finger and you know it. Now get. I got a cake to finish." Auntie gave Haku a swift smack to her bottom before going inside to finish messing around.

Haku brushed herself off before smiling up at the Gremory peerage. "Good afternoon, how may I be of assistance?"

"We are here to speak with Gaap." Rias decided to cut through the pleasantries. Haku seemed nice, but she wanted to get things sorted out before anything stupid happened to her peerage.

"Then please follow me." Was Haku's response as she led the group across the street.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, and Zabuza stalked into his living room where the Occult Research Club was waiting for him. It didn't take an expert on body language to know that Zabuza wasn't in the best mood? After all, why would he be?<p>

Wasn't like he was interrupted during the first training session with the members of his peerage? The training session where he put them through their paces, pushed them to their limits to best examine them. Figure out the specific areas in need of improvement the most. _Well.. aside from battlefield edidcute. Rule 1, it's just as satisfying to laugh and taunt your enemies corpse, than it is to taunt a still breathing one. Safer as well._

But no. Gremory was just as stubborn as he was, and even after Haku's multiple assurances that she could act in Zabuza's place no matter the circumstances, the red-haired devil refused to back down until a certain Gaap was sitting across from her.

'To avoid any future misunderstandings.' Were her exact words. _And what a load of… _Zabuza reigned himself back in. He was in control of his emotions. Even if things weren't going as planned, he'd manage. _Least we got one solid addition from all this…_

The cross. The large, glowing cross with the ability to steal Sacred Gears that he'd carried back, now stashed in one of the various hidden storage rooms built into his underground training facility. Paranoia, thy name is Former Ninja of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi.

_Overkill? With something like that? Not a chance._

So Zabuza walked slowly, deliberately to the centre couch, almost cracking a smirk as he saw Issei's eyes widen with first perverted glee at the sight before him, before rapidly switching between fear and anger.

The young former priestess, well, that was easier to describe in Zabuza's eyes as the girl tried to get even closer to Issei. _Scared shitless, or looking like she'd seen a ghost. Take your pick. _Still, the fact the boy didn't hesitate to put a comforting hand on her arm was worth something.

Akeno and Kiba simply narrowed their eyes as they recognized the occupants of Zabuza's arms, while Koneko and Rias managed to keep up a mask of indifference.

With no further prompt, Zabuza dropped a half-naked and groaning Raynare onto the couch, before dumping Kalawarner on top of her in a similar state. Mittelt was last, having been draped over his shoulders in a fireman's carry before being thrown off. The third and final addition to a pile of sore newly resurrected devils, fresh from a beating- _training session_- of a life time.

"My my, interrupting something were we?" Akeno teased as Mittelt gave her the finger, Kalawarner mumbled various curses and Raynare tried to look threatening. Being dog-piled by two other people, while dressed in nothing more than a simple red sport's bra and neon pink short shorts, her fellow fallen angels wearing similar outfits, did little to enhance the 'I'll kill you' image, she was going for.

Zabuza just ignored the playful queen as he jumped over the coach to take his seat next to Haku. "I'm here, now get talking." Having said his piece, he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. He had more important things to do than listen to whatever Gremory had to talk about.

"I see.. you resurrected all of them. I believe there was one more?" Rias spared the three battered and bruised angels a glance before turning her attention back to Zabuza who simply snorted.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to find any remains of Dohnaseek, from what I saw, I believe he sacrificed himself to shield Kalawarner and Mittelt. Zabuza has offered to have a small memorial this weekend if you so wish." Haku addressed the last part towards the trio of girls, who collectively shook their heads. Just wasn't their style.

"Now, how may we be of assistance Miss Rias?"

"I was hoping for you to answer a few questions I have regarding your involvement in the past week. As well as-"

"If you want Twilight Healing back, you'll be paying for it." Zabuza spoke up with a tone of finality before going back to organizing the training schedule in his head. Kalawarner, Raynare and Mittelt felt a shiver go down their spine as he remembered a few choice method's Haku had gone through.

"Pay for it!? It was Asia's to begin with! Raynare was the one who stole it! It belongs to Asia!" Issei stood up, palms slamming against the table as he glared at Zabuza. "It isn't fair that after all she's gone through, and everything that's happened, she loses her Sacred Gear as well."

"Zabuza." Haku took a moment to look at her partner, catching his eye. After a brief few seconds, she gave a resigned sigh before looking at the Gremory Peerage. "Apologies, but Zabuza is right. We are not looking to make enemies, but we also won't give up Twilight Healing without payment."

"How much." Rias didn't hesitate. Money in exchange for her new bishops happiness and abilities? The price would have to be ludicrously high for her to even consider saying no. _Time to put one of the perks of being born a Pillar to good use. _In other words, breaking open her lavish piggy bank.

"A marriage contract between Miss Rias and Zabuz-" Haku deadpanned, enjoying the expressions that danced across the Research Club's, ranging from amusement at her attempted joke, or suddenly choking on air, before a light smack to the back of her head told her to stop.

"I mean." The Ice Queen cleared her throat to hide an innocent giggle. "Rias's vir-"

Zabuza didn't even let her take a second syllable before he cut her off with another smack.

"Fine. Now-" Zabuza gave Haku one last love tap, just to be safe. "Moving on. We are willing to present you with two choices. Two point five billion."

"Oh my, I expected a little more." Akeno raised an eyebrow. It was a large sum, but the Gremory coffer could use a bit of tidying out anyways. In fact it seemed a little to reasonable a price, especially when the second option hadn't been revealed. _There's a hook hidden somewhere.._

"Two and a half billion yen? Easily done. The Gaap household will receive that sum within two days time." Rias waved off Issei's incredible look with a small smile.

"Yen? I'm sorry, but we do not accept the Japanese Yen as currency. Too weak." Haku's tone was sincere and playful, but Rias and Akeno could hear the trace amounts of venom in it. "What Zabuza is asking for, what we are asking for is two point five billion in U.S. Dollars."

_And there it is. _Rias and Akeno thought in tandem. "And the second option?" The amount was still payable, but it was large enough that the other option was at least worth hearing out. After all, Rias had weekly manga budget she had to keep up.

If Haku's smile was any indication, they'd fallen right for the trap. "A match between a member of your peerage against either Zabuza or I. The rules would be till either side yields or knock out. Winner takes the Sacred Gear without complaints."

"That is rather.. generous." Kiba mulled over, trying to see the angle being worked, but coming up with nothing.

"Isn't it?"

"And how would the combatants be selected?" Rias mused, not seeing a downside to this option. _All their actions point to information gathering.. _And frankly if they wanted to just see what tricks she had up her sleeve, let them.

"Entirely your choice Miss Gremory. After all you are a guest." Haku didn't take a moment to think it over. Akeno felt that this was one giant script that Zabuza prepared beforehand that they were playing into.

"And please… do select the perverted monkey. Haku or I could use a pleasant a warm up.." Zabuza yawned, finally putting his attention back to the conversation.

Kiba put a hand on Issei's shoulders before he could fall for the debate. "No. Why don't we settle this between kings, Gaap."

Haku clapped her hands together as if she just won front row seats to a cinematic premier. "Splendid. Now if you could just follow me, we have a training area in the basement that would be perfect for the match."

The Occult Research club began to follow Haku's lead, making sure to give the fallen angels one last glare as they struggled to untangle themselves.

Zabuza on the other hand simply helped Kalawarner and Raynare to their feet. "Up. You'll be watching."

"So, what's the plan, sir? Killing them once their guard is down?" Raynare asked as she attempted to work out the kinks in her bones, keeping her tone as respectful as possible. In the past few hours her savior had changed from a shining knight into a demon straight from hell itself with the drills he was expecting them to run on their first day.

"No, your orders are to watch and learn." Zabuza's response resulted in a pair of nods from Mittelt and Raynare, but Kalawarner rolled her eyes.

"Can do boss!" Mittelt chirped from her place on the coach, sprawled out with a smirk. "But there is one problem…"

_Of course... _Zabuza simply raised an eyebrow at the small blonde.

"My legs are tired~ Can you carry me? Pweeeease?~" Mittelt's eyes started to water, and her smile turned into a compact and shy pout.

Fortunately, having lived with Haku for years, Zabuza had built up an immunity to most puppy dog eyes. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood, so with a resigned huff, he agreed. "Fine."

Of course, Mittelt was probably expecting to be carried like a princess, or at the very, very least a ride on his back. What she got being thrown over the bandaged devil's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

_Well.. _The fallen angel puffed out her cheeks as Raynare fought down a laugh at her situation and Kalawarner wearing a grin the said she'd never live this down for the next week. _Least I got a nice view.._Mittelt smirked as she looked down at a certain ex-ninja's posterior.

* * *

><p>Rias kept a close eye on Zabuza as he took his place. She couldn't see a sword on him, so either he was handicapping himself, or he was arrogant enough to think he wouldn't need it. <em>Then again, he could be a caster like myself..<em>

A quick double-check of his physique was evidence to the contrary, but Rias didn't let that bother her. After all, this was just Zabuza's way of gathering information on future rivals in the Rating Games. _Don't exactly approve of the method but the fact he's been stringing us along is testament to something._

She was just glad that the 'arena' was rather spacious, allowing her room to maneuver in the gymnasium sized dojo, with Haku and Akeno creating a barrier to contain the damage in case things got heated as they stood in two groups at the side lines.

Gremory peerage on women side, Asia as far away from the Fallen Angels but as close to Issei as possible, while the Gaap peerage, minus Haku, was leaning against the wall, eyes locked on the combatants.

"My my. Rather rare that two of the Pillars would have a straight duel. Aren't you lucky Issei? You get to witness something rather rare." Akeno smirked as she finished placing her barrier.

"Pillar? What's a Pillar?"

"They are the 'nobles' of the Devils. The pure-blooded families that rule the underworld, who typically have special abilities, such as immortality, super strength, special kinds of magic, ect. Miss Rias is a Gremory, while Zabuza is a Gaap, both are high class devils by birth." Haku explained as she started working on her barrier.

"Ooh.. sweet.. so what does Prez have?" Issei turned to Akeno, figuring she'd have the answer.

"Prez was born with the power of Destruction, from her mother's side, specifically the Bael Clan… as for the Gaap's. If, he did inherit a power, it would be the ability to teleport, water magic or both."

"Can't any devil do that?" Asia asked quietly, remember how Issei managed to get away from Freed in their first encounter.

"Yes, but while transportation circles can be used by any devil who knows how, Gaap's are famous for their ability to traverse great distances in the blink of an eye, or to teleport in rapid succession."

Issei nodded as he gave Asia a reassuring look, he had complete confidence in Prez. After all, there is no way someone as beautiful, talented and kind as her could lose to some cruel gorilla like Zabuza.

"Wait.. um.. Haku?" The queen piece turned to Asia as she called her name. "Would you happen to be a Pillar as well?"

"Oh no. I am simply a human led by fate to Zabuza at a young age. I have an unremarkable sacred gear, but aside from that. I am a plain and simple queen." Haku felt a small twinge of guilt at lying to Asia.. well.. telling a half-truth. She was added to Zabuza's peerage as a human in this life, after a chance meeting, but that's a story for another time. As well as the detail's of the 'unremarkable' sacred gear.

"Oi! Enough chatting in the peanut gallery. Let's get this over with. I got people to train.." Zabuza called out, tapping his foot.

"Impatient.." Koneko mumbled as she took a seat, wishing she had snacks.

"Indeed." Kiba nodded.

"So... we got a gong?" Mittelt's suggestion was shot down by a dangerous grin from Akeno.

"How bout I countdown from ten, and on go, they begin?" Haku took a step forward to stop a brawl from breaking out as the Gremory peerage nodded, no one having a better idea. "Well then, are the contestants in position?"

"Yes Miss Haku, we are."

"Haku, start counting already before I make you fight."

"You only had to ask Zabuza." Haku blew Zabuza a kiss, which to everyone else seemed to be ignored, but she saw the subtle shake of her partner's shoulders, knowing that he got a quiet chuckle. As if Zabuza needed luck.

"Ten."

* * *

><p>Zabuza's stance was loose and slumped, hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. In Rias's opinion he looked bored, but she could see his eyes. They were alert, analyzing her as she picked him apart.<p>

"Four."

Keeping distance would be key here. Hand to Hand combat was not her specialty, and if Zabuza's sculpted build was any indication he didn't slack in that apartment.

"Three."

_Get it together Rias, this isn't bout you. It's about Asia. Keep him in your sight and make him pay for every step he takes.._

"Two."

Rias spread her legs out, getting into a solid stance, ready to retreat, stand her ground or unleash hell on the devil protecting those who harmed not only her cute little pawn, but Asia as well.

"One."

All of Rias's world came down to the arena, her mind focussed solely on Zabuza. Even now she had to admit the man had a presence. It wasn't blown, but it was there. He possessed the ability to draw the eye. Be the center of attention through nothing more than the way he walked, or the way he stood.

"Go!"

So the moment when Haku said go, Rias was more than surprised that her opponent seemed to disappear from view. After all, she could keep track of Kiba at full speed on a good day, so how the hell did she lose a 6ft tall, 160 plus pounds of raw muscle and bandages.

Haku could have answered that question if asked, but instead Rias found Zabuza. Specifically the back of her head found his foot as his sneak attack high kick sent her tumbling forward. Cheap? Absolutely, but it worked.

"Tsk. Expected more." Zabuza took his hands out of his pocket's as Rias got back to her feet, not wasting any time with aiming as she began to carpet bomb the area around Zabuza with basketball sized blasts of destructive energy.

Forced onto the defensive, Zabuza retreated backwards, never taking his eyes off Rias as she continued her barrage. What followed could be best described as the Gremory heir taking potshot after potshot after potshot at Zabuza as he fled left, right or just fell back increasing the distance between the two combatants.

As her opponent ducked and weaved through the chaos she was raining down on him, Rias slowly worked her way back until she was pressed up against the barrier, the splitting headache that was throwing off her aim telling her than another kick like that wouldn't knock her out, but it'd certainly make anything magic related difficult to do.

For all the spells being thrown his way, Zabuza didn't look panicked. He met every rapid fire spell with quiet indifference as he seemed to fade back and forth between the small bits of safety. So Rias took a gamble, as she began to gather power.

Seeing his chance, Zabuza took it as he charged forward keeping himself low to the ground to minimize the target. But that wasn't what drew her attention, no, it was the faint murky, purple haze that was starting to outline Zabuza's hands and feet.

Rias made sure to take careful aim as the gathered demonic energy grew to roughly her size. It was a do or die shot, but that was the fun part. Once Zabuza was less than twenty paces away she let loose the Power of Destruction.

Zabuza smirked as the crimson and black Ball'o Death came barreling towards him. _Time to see if this damn thing works._He thought as he shot his aura enhanced fist forward to strike the spell head on.

* * *

><p>"Oh my, guess that's game." Akeno allowed a triumphant grin to spread across her face as they watched Zabuza take a substantial amount of power to the face. Kiba was wearing a similar expression while Issei began to cheer for his beloved Prez.<p>

Koneko was the only Gremory peerage member who wasn't celebrating. Oh no, she knew what that haze was, and the fact he could use it meant the match wasn't over yet. "No over yet. Senjutsu."

And she was proven right as the dust from the explosion cleared. Zabuza and Rias were locked in close combat, the red-haired devil unable to regain the needed distance under the Zabuza's constant assault.

Each punch and kick flowed into the next even as Rias did her best to play defense. She ducked under a hay-maker, only for Zabuza to follow through with the motion into a leg sweep forcing her to jump back.

As she did her best to endure the assault, Rias tried to figure out what was nagging her. She was being pushed back, that was obvious, but she taken down slowly, they were setting a rhythm, dodge, dodge, block, dodge, duck. Or that's what she thought until Zabuza's left jab suddenly picked up the pace after her second consecutive dodge.

Rias's arms didn't come up fast enough as the fist buried itself in her right cheek, breaking her tentative and feeble stance. But not before she got her own punch in. It was sloppy, and lacked a good deal of force behind it, but she did get good hit in his teeth.

But Zabuza didn't take the opening presented to him, punch to his mouth or not, instead he took a step back and raised his hand at Haku, before waving his hand as if he wanted her gone. His partner simply nodded back.

"Why yes. That is game. Zabuza surrenders." The young queen said in a playful tone.

**AN: A small bit of action at the end cause I'm sure some of you are chomping at the bit for it. Writing it has definitely taught me that I'll need to write more to get the hand of them but I'm okay with this for the first little spar. I hope you all are as well. Anyways hope you enjoyed the chapter~ I look forward to the next one~**

**PS. Side note, just have to say this to get it out of my head. The Medaka Box section needs more love'n, especially Kumagawa. You all know I'm right. And if you haven't read/watched Medaka Box yet, I highly recommend it. But that's enough from me. Until next time!**


	7. Seventh Move

"Gaap."

"Gremory." Zabuza replied to the devil's threatening tone with disinterest and a raised eyebrow as she again gathered power in her hands.

"I am through with you toying with me. Even I have my pride."

"And that declaration forces me to take you seriously? Now go take Twilight Healing from Raynare and leave. I'm busy and have more time to waste with you." He countered as his hands went back into his pockets, Rias's glare having no effect on him. He'd faced down Kisame on multiple occasions. Now that was a death glare.

"Not until I get some answers."

"About? What? The fact that for the past week we've had an eye on your perverted monkey? It's not my job to keep him safe, so feel free to blame someone else. I'm a professional. A mercenary. Could I have helped? Could I have walked into your clubroom with Haku by my side, sat down, enjoyed a nice cup of tea and just been best friends?"

Zabuza slowly stalked towards Rias as he continued talking, voiced laced with sarcasm. "We could have been best friends, just sitting around laughing and enjoying our time together. When Issei joined your peerage we could have thrown him a welcome party, and when Asia got attacked, I could have been the first to jump to her rescue like some damn hero straight out of some of the shitty cartoons here."

Rias didn't back down as Zabuza stopped in front of her, staring down at her with what she would only guess is contempt. The fact that Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, Issei and even Asia didn't hesitate to appear by her side did more than enough to remove her fears of the man. After all, in her mind it was two against six, the fallen angel's strength wasn't a factor.

"I could have done all that and more. But do you know why I didn't? Cause I, don't, give a shark-toothed fuck. Your peerage is your problem. Can you blame Raynare for following orders? I don't know if you forgot, but being mad at a fallen angel for trying to kill a devil is like getting mad at a wolf for killing a deer. It's the natural order of things. So quit bitching, take the Sacred Gear and leave before I decide to get rid of a Rating Game rival, permanently."

"My my, you are being rather rude Mr. Gaap." Akeno narrowed her gaze at the threat as Kiba's hands moved to his side, ready for a fight. Koneko was the only one who wasn't gearing up for a blood bath, instincts screaming at her to get away, but loyalty to Rias stopped her from moving an inch.

"I apologize Miss Gremory, but we are going to have to ask you to leave." Haku held out a set of silver rings. "Please. We don't want any trouble." Zabuza simply snorted but kept quiet as Asia took the offered Sacred Gear, slipping them onto her middle finger with a bright smile.

"And what about Asia?" Issei's voice had an undercurrent of steel in it. "I don't care what happened to me, but what about everything she's been through." Imagines of Freed's hands on Asia, of her hanging, screaming as her Sacred Gear was torn out of her, and her simple wish for friends.

"She's alive, get over it. You lost your right for revenge the moment you asked someone else to do it." Zabuza said with casual dismissal as if this whole thing was starting to bore him. Frankly it was. He had training to get back to.

Issei couldn't help himself, Zabuza's tone and words just caused something to snap. The pawn took the needed step forward, arm pulled back to punch the mummified gorilla in his smug face.

* * *

><p>The fist never connected as Haku caught Issei's wrist half an inch before it touched Zabuza's face, still wearing that look of bored disinterest.<p>

"Issei. You are a nice boy, and the fact you are fighting to protect someone special to you is something I can respect. But, in the future, if you try to harm Zabuza again. I will cut off the offending limb." The warmth and kindness that everyone had come to associate with Haku had disappeared, replaced with pure, bone chilling ice.

"Gaap.. you had better watch yourself in the future. If any of your people attack my peerage again, I will personally end you." Rias turned to leave after her final warning before a chuckle cut her off. It started off as a deep rumbling but eventually Zabuza couldn't hold himself back as he laughed the threat off.

"Gremory, I appreciate the warning but..." Zabuza grinned beneath his bandages as he finally let his killing intent loose, driving Issei, Asia and the Fallen Angels to their knees with relative ease as the rest struggled to not collapse, Koneko fighting to stop herself from hyperventilating.

He leaned close, whispering in Rias's ear, as Zabuza ignored the shivers that ran down her spine, while Rias could only try, and with great effort fail. "You are nothing more than a little girl against a demon. But whether you end up as an ally or an enemy is in your hand's Gremory. Now, here's the deal. You leave my pawns alone, and I'll give you information that will protect something rather important to you… your marriage. Would you be interested?"

Rias found the strength to meet Zabuza's eye out of the corner of her gaze before nodding slightly. The fact she wasn't on her knees like some of the others was one thing she going for her. In fact, aside from Haku, she seemed to take it the best.

"Phenex is on the move and you don't got much time. I brought you here to see how you'd stack up to chicken boy, but as you stand now? Going to take either a good chunk of luck, or some hired hands. Either way, not my problem."

Zabuza stepped back but not before sliding a business card into the girl's pocket.

* * *

><p>Haku smiled once the Gremory Peerage disappeared in a burst of crimson light through at Transportation Circle. Rias beating a hasty retreat, ignoring the few scattered protests, in favor of getting a head start dealing with her unwanted fiancé, or specifically that he was up to something. Did things go the way she wanted them to? Not in the slightest. <em>We certainly didn't make any friends today.<em>

But that didn't bother her too much. Zabuza got his chance to get a better read on Rias after all.

"Ryo for your thoughts?"

Zabuza simply rolled his shoulders. "If I was anyone else, I'd say I was a cheater.. I have nearly twenty years of -actual- combat experience on any of these kids... especially when some of them are so soft."

"Could always not fight?" Haku teased as they walked over to the trio of pawns, Zabuza only snorted in response.

"And do what instead? I'm a devil, I'm expected to fight. But if I'm going to fight, I'm going to win, regardless of the methods. Besides, we got a goal to achieve."

Haku only hummed in response, as she suppressed the hints of a blush at the memory of -that-.

* * *

><p>"A warning would have been pleasant." Kalawarner deadpanned as her new 'master' finally came over to the group followed by Haku.<p>

To his credit, Zabuza just raised an eyebrow as if to ask why he'd bother.

"Um.. sir. Why'd you surrender, you were winning and.." Raynare brushed herself off once her legs had solidified under her, only for Mittelt to cut her off.

"And you looked cool doing it! So calm and deadly! Like a knife just cutting through the chaos! Oh! What was that glowing stuff, was it some spell we can learn? Can you teach it to me? Please, please, pleaaase?" The petite blonde bounced around, looking up at Zabuza with eyes sparkling. Instead of a response, she got a hand on her head to hold her in place. Her response? Pretend as if the big, strong hands of her master were petting her in reward of a job well done, before they moved onto the main course. Raynare wiped away the small amount of drool that was starting to gather on her blonde friend's lower lip

"Don't worry Mittelt, all three of you have a chance to learn Senjutsu and more. When he's done with you, I'm sure you'll be able to take on anyone!"

Zabuza had to shake his head at Haku's absolute faith in him, even after dying. "Haku, keep telling them I'm invincible and they might start to believe you." His gaze turned to Kalawarner, Mittelt and Raynare. "Now since Haku and I still have school to attend." _Grudgingly in my case. _"You will be alone here for most of the day."

The girls seemed to perked up at that. "But, I will expect you to train for a respectable amount of time when you are home alone. I will be instructing you at nights, but during the day, what you do is your choice. Every week we will have a mandatory spare where I expect you to come at me with intent to kill, where I will judge your progress. If you are not meeting my expectations as individuals or a group, I will-"

"Throw us out like trash? Or simply kill us and take back the six pawns you wasted for someone worth your time?" Kalawarner bit out, memories of being tossed aside by the Fallen Angels still fresh in her mind.

"Kalawarner." Zabuza leveled her with an impassive stare as a small circle appeared in his hand. With a small flash of light it turned into dull grey combat knife, the blade looked sharp enough to cut through bone with ease.

_Guess here is where my smart mouth get's me killed. _The bluenette thought with vindictive glee and a hint of dread at being proven right.

With a flick of his wrist the knife spun in the air, only to land back in his hand, handle pointing towards her.

"Kalawarner. I will never admit to being an honest man. I am a liar, a killer and a demon, but I am also a selfish, and greedy man. I do not let go of what is mine, unless they want me to. Death itself hasn't stopped me yet. So when I say you, Raynare and Mittelt are now mine, believe it. You are mypawns, parts of mypeerage and people I want to stand by myside for so long as you are willing."

Zabuza pushed the knife handle closer to her as the blade bit into his skin, drawing out a small line of blood from his palm. "And I'll give you this knife as a contract, another deal with the devil, but this time, it's personal. If I betray you, if I ever attempt to throw you away, simply take that knife and kill me. I will not stop you, nor will Haku. You may think you are just a tool. Something I keep around only to be used, and that's fine, think whatever you wish, I won't force you to do anything other than fight by my side and train. But remember this."

His grin outlined against the bandages as he finished. "Tools in my care are treated with respect and care they deserve… Now come on. You three need to get washed up, and.. I have to cook?" The last question addressed to Haku who nodded, planning on joining the new additions in the bath.

_After all it was big enough. And I've never really gotten the chance to do some proper feminine bonding in… well.. ever. _The Queen piece chuckled at the thought of 'sizing up her competition'.

* * *

><p>Kalawarner looked at the knife, her thumb gently running across the edge as she sat at the edge of her.. Zabuza's bed wrapped in only a towel. If she was in a complaining mood, she'd wish the piece of fabric was a tad larger, since her chest was threatening to spill out at just the mention of a light breeze.<p>

She was alone with her thoughts, something she was thankful for. Raynare had dragged Haku aside saying something about a personal question, while Mittelt was just being herself, taking an extraordinary amount of time to enjoy every last second of hot water she could.

So that left her, one of three Fallen Angels turned devil, a knife and a lot of questions she couldn't answer at the time, as most of them were about a 'master' she knew little about and her feelings for him. To her, it sounded like the start of a really bad joke.

It was the promise that bothered her the most, or the look in his eyes as he promised her. Absolute certainty. _Certain that he wouldn't betray her, or that even if he did, he'd lay down like a dog and take it._

She needed more time. That's all she needed, time to watch and wait. _Judge a man by their actions, and not by their words. For words are just winds, but actions shape the world. _If she was any less tired, Kalawarner would have reprimanded herself for basing her life decisions off of some fortune cookie she had a month again as she threw on a fresh pair of clothes. but for now, she'd go with it. _I don't like Zabuza or anything like that, but I also don't hate him either._

**AN: So yes, a thing. Not much to say bout this aside from possibly clarifying something. Is Zabuza going to be OP? Not really. One of the things I liked best about Zabuza is that for all his macho muscle and big goddamn sword, his fighting style, and specialties are not suited for the front line. He's an assassin before anything (and I blame Kishimoto and the force known as required plot development for him forgetting that fact in the series proper. Fighting Kakashi up close and in the open, along with some summoning jutsu that was pulled out of nowhere, was what got him and Haku killed in the first place.) **

**The man is a mook's worst nightmare with the skills and abilities to carve through low to mid-level like a molten hot knife through butter, but put him in an even, fair fight against Vali, or Kokabiel and he's going to struggle or more specifically retreat and regroup if available. Haku's the one you want to watch out for in the open... **

**Anyways, enough of me ranting about possibly spoilers. I have another poll up that I would rather like you, the reader (yes, you, -you- specifically) to respond to. A simple yes or no question on whether or not you'd like a chapter with a with some smut/lemon in it. I'm not going to tell who between, but since the poll will be ending on Thursday, I suggest you get voting~ **

**See you all next time~**

**(On one last side note, [I promise, last one]. I still am looking for a beta or someone to proofread/bounce ideas off of. So if the idea of editing terrible grammar and my shitty story appears to you! (Get help) Or send me a pm~ You'll get the next chapter a day in advance as well as the right/unwanted privileged of being able to pick my brain with questions you have bout plot developments and other stupid things I have planned.)**


	8. Eighth Move

"Again."

Raynare picked herself off the floor with a groan. Zabuza hadn't been lying when he said he'd beat them into shape. He was handing them asswhopings like candy on Halloween night, and she ate it up. The fact she had thirty pound weights attached to her wrists and ankles did nothing to help her. _After all, is it wrong to want to please my master?_

She settled back into the stance that was drilled into her head over the past week, making sure to wait for Zabuza's approval before she attacked. She found it unfair that her opponent had a knife, but that was the entire point of the exercise. Getting used to fighting an enemy who has every advantage.

_And what an unfair advantage it is!_ Raynare screamed in her own head as the short blade that had been causing her so much trouble today drew a thin line of blood on her neck before she managed to pull away.

Zabuza swiftly followed, running through a set style of moves he'd taught the trio over the past few nights, watching as Raynare did her best to counter, getting a few scrapes and shallow cuts that'd be healed up before the session was over.

Then he got mean. His training as based off two phrases. 'Evolution through fear.' and 'Twice as much blood as sweat.' So when Raynare thought she'd won the exchange by catching his knife hand by the wrist she got a little surprise.

He dropped the knife and in one swift motion freed himself from his pawns clutches with a jerk of his elbow that twisted his torso. Zabuza used the momentum he had to knock Raynare off her feet with a low leg sleep, before he grabbed the falling knife out of the air, kneeling down to gently hold it against her throat.

In Raynare's mind, all she knew was that one moment she had won, the next Zabuza was straddling her, with a knife under her chin. _Cheater._

"Don't think you've won until your opponent is dead.." He chided, though Raynare found it hard to meet his gaze given the position. Zabuza had no such troubles.

"Yes sir." Was the weak reply as she pulled herself up right with Zabuza's offered hand.

"Your stance is getting better. Keep running through the drills during the day and you'll have them mastered in a month." Raynare straightened out at the praise, holding her chin high. It was a rare thing in Grigori to be given a compliment by a higher up, and usually it was followed by some veiled barb.

Here the barbs were short and to the point. Wounds meant to toughen, followed by words of encouragement. The dark haired pawn didn't know why, but she found the distinction important. It was rather nice to have such a selfless, strong, generous person as her master, unlike that toad Kokabiel.

"-aynare. Raynare." Zabuza pulled her back from her quick trip into dreamland. It didn't seem to affect her in combat, so he didn't mind too much, but he'd need to train her out of it in the event of ambushes. A soldier that isn't paying attention is a soldier that isn't going to make it through the fight.

"Yes sir!" _Way to go Raynare, now you made a fool of yourself. How will he ever trust you, if you can't even pay attention to training._

"I asked if you had any questions before I switch over to Mittelt." He said the name with an edge of exasperation. Zabuza was not a creature of expression. He wore a mask over his face for a reason. He did not feel comfortable expressing himself.

So the fact that in the past week he'd been assaulted with all manners of affection from the petite blonde was slowly driving him to insanity. His continued residency on the couch didn't help either, but that was a separate point.

In the past four days alone, he'd had his showers interrupted twice by offers to wash his back, been caught trying to change four times, had to pry the girl off of him more times than he wished to mention when she was feeling 'cuddly' and he didn't want to get started on the attempted kisses, or peaks under his bandages.

Mittelt was a natural ninja in his mind, and if his concentration slipped for more than a few seconds she'd have appeared out of nowhere, fingers fumbling with the stips of cloth around his mouth or his lips dangerous close to hers.

He had to give her credit for her effort. No matter how much he increased her training by, she always found time to try again, each failure only adding fuel to the fire. Least she was keeping him on his toes. One of the downsides to being the only stealth fighter in a world of powerhouses was that he didn't have that constant threat overhead to keep his skills sharp.

The blonde midget who made it her life's goal to repay Zabuza for saving her life with her first kiss was the closest thing he had to a group of hunter-nims keeping him in shape.

Frankly he could decide which was a scarier prospect, death by hunter-nim or death by Haku. Haku, the girl who was being an outspoken supporter of Mittelt's antics. Haku, who was rather evasive whenever he asked her what she was doing.

The whole situation was a minefield that he felt would be better remedied with a simple 'yes' or 'no'. If his queen was perfectly willing to let Mittelt fill out her desires, fine. Zabuza would do it just to calm the girl down. He was a practical man after all. Kiss the girl, shut her up, move on with his life.

But if the answer was no. He'd stick to his guns until the teasing had finished or Mittelt gave up. He'd would be hard pressed to say he 'loved' Haku, just as he'd be hard pressed to say he 'loved' anyone in his life. He did, as much as a demon could, but years of emotional suppression do not just disappear completely, and saying it out loud to anyone other than himself or Haku, herself seemed like exposing a weakness. So, he'd stay quiet and deal with constantly double-checking the lock on the bathroom door, possibly getting a deadbolt for the damn thing, as well as throwing Mittelt out of his room from her various hiding places till things blew over.

Unaware of her King's mental dispute, Raynare shook her head, resolving to get the sets down in two weeks to eek out another compliment. After all, Haku's advice was 'Zabuza values loyalty and hard-work. And his rewards are.. generous.' _And if that little look she gave me meant anything, she approves of…_

"Keep it up. Remember, there is no such thing as bad swords, only bad swordsman. Whatever idiot was in charge of training you as fallen angels would have been charged with treason if I had a say in the matter.."

"Uh.. sir.. there wasn't any formal training among the Grigori.." Raynare corrected Zabuza, who only sighed.

"The idiots call this a war.. it's more like a bunch of petty slap fighting… the Leaf would have a field day with this sort of fighting." He mumbled under his breath before giving Raynare one last pat on the head to send her off. Now he got to deal with the blonde devil. _Lovely._

* * *

><p>Haku was having the time of her life as she instructed Kalawarner on how to properly throw sendon. Things were going according to plan, she had three new friends to spend time with and best of all, she had the perfect chance to let Zabuza stew.<p>

It was a rare thing to catch her partner off guard, but one thing she could always poke a little fun at is his new found loyalty to her.

So she'd give it another week or two of Mittelt advances and his only slightly pleading looks for help, or her to do anything. But no. This was much too fun. Besides, Mittelt gave her these cute little puppy eyes when she asked for her help. How could she say no to that? Haku crumbled like a wet paper bag.

Anyways, she died as a virgin in her past life, so by her logic, the universe owed her at least twice as much sex as the average person. Sure Zabuza had stamina for days, but natural curiosity and a need to see just how many women her partner could handle at once, drove her to come up with a devious plan involving a certain shark toothed swordsman and as many women as Haku could get on board.

"Haku." Kalawarner dragged a reluctant ice queen back to reality from her visions of a little blonde with a tail and dog ears or a glorious orgy of flesh involving herself and any of the willing pawns. Haku filed both thoughts away for a birthday or christmas present at a later date. Specifically her own.

"Yes?"

"I don't think I'm doing it right…" The tallest of the pawns muttered as she looked at the massive spread of her shots, only a third of which having hit the target.

"Practice. Anything can be achieved with enough practice. You are getting better though…" Haku did her best to cheer the taller woman up, but she still had a look of hesitation. "Besides, you could always ask Zabuza for some.. _Private_ training."

"I don't think I need that much help.." Kalwarner did her best to deadpan a response but the tint of pink in her cheeks ruined the effect.

"Oh alright, now come on. I know you can do better, so let's see a few more tries."

Kalawarner took her stance, left foot forward, right foot back, body twisted with a few strands of navy blue hair in her eye as she reached into the pouch at her lower back with both hands. _Alright, deep breathes. Remember what Haku said. Learning to fight is like building a house. You need a solid foundation before you can put in any of the fancy decorations._

A quick glance at the target range to judge distance and the pawn was off. Right hand first,quickly followed by the left with a flick of the wrist and the sound of steel biting into wood just above the bullseye.

"Just like that! Now do it again." Haku cheered as her thoughts ran wild. Give them a year, and Zabuza's pawns alone would be a force to be reckoned with. "I want ten hits in a row before we are done tonight, then you can finally get some sleep."

"Ugh.." Kalawarner didn't bother to hide the groan as she settled back into her stance. "Yes, boss lady."

"Oooh.. I rather like that. But don't think it'll get you out of training~" Haku's smile couldn't get brighter as she observed Kalawarner, occasionally offering advice or encouragement till her pocket vibrated. Specifically, her phone.

_Oh my.. didn't think she'd take such.. drastic measures.._ Haku shook her head as she read over the message, typing out her reply to Gremory girl. It'd been a quiet week, so something had to happen sooner or later, but this? This was too good to pass up.

_Good thing I haven't made dinner yet..._

* * *

><p>Zabuza gave his pillow a quick punch to fluff it up before laying down, already feeling a bit drowsy from a night of instructing and his own training. The kicker was Haku's food. Chili. Hot, spicy and meaty chili.<p>

He had a love-hate relationship with spicy food. He enjoyed the taste, but it always made him drowsy and harder to focus if he ate it too close to bed, like he just did. It didn't bother him too much though, if anyone broke in, Haku could deal with them, and if she couldn't, the noise of a struggle would be more than enough to wake him up, spice induced sleep or otherwise.

So, with that in mind, he closed his eyes, adjusting the blanket on the couch one last time before he drifted off debating whether it'd be better to buy a new house or kick the girls out of _his_ bed.

_Worry tomorrow, sleep now._

* * *

><p>"Zabuza…" A dreamy, light voice was calling out to him, and he could feel the weight of someone straddling his waist.<p>

"Zabuza~" The voice called out again.

_Even if it's Haku, I'm throwing her upstairs, I've had enough of these mixed messages for one day..._

"Zabuza~" A third time the voice gently called to him as it shook his shoulder.

_Fine, I'm up, I'm up. What? _Zabuza removed the arm over his eyes as he let them briefly adjust to the light.

_Oh sweet.. it's too god damn early for this._ He ignored the wince of pain at the mention of Him, to take another look, just to make sure this wasn't a dream brought along by eating too late.

But no, straddling his waist, with only a thin blanket separating them was a very real Rias Gremory. A very real, and very naked Rias Gremory, with a 'come hither' look on her face.

_That's it, I'm going back to sleep. _"And good night." Zabuza brought his arm back up, relishing in the familiar pressure before the darkness claimed him. Or so he hoped.

**An: **Ello ello, and happy holidays to all. Another chapter to enjoy in this season of snow and sharing. And for those of you a bit set of by the chapter ending, do not worry, it's exactly what you think it is- I mean. Maybe. Probably. Who knows? Me, but that's not the point. So, this is just a heads up to the future but after the phenex game, the Zabuza Peerage will be going off on it's own little adventure for a bit. So, OC villains and adventures will pop up. Tis but a warning for any who care.

Anyways, hope you all are having a good holiday, if not, I hoped this chapter at least brought a tiny smile to your face~ If not, I give you the gift of a shameless self promotion on my other story that I started a few days ago (I swear, for christmas Santa is bringing me a shock collar that jolts me whenever I attempt to write a chapter of something other than my in-progress stories. And I'd probably wear it for the sake of productivity) Illusions in Strength, a Harry Potter crossover with Bleach that focuses on the relationship between a teenage Barragan and Harribel. A story I desperately need to come up with a better summary for.

In other news~ Have a good day and I shall see you all later~


	9. Ninth Move

_Well.. I certainly expected more…_ Rias looked down at Zabuza before she leaned down, whispering in a voice she hoped sounded seductive and alluring. "It's rather rude to keep a lady waiting. Especially when she's so _willing._"

"It's also rude to break into another person's house before the sun is up… just because I can survive with only two hours of sleep, a day doesn't mean I enjoy it" He shot back.

"So when a beautiful women is laying on top of you, stark naked, begging you to take her then and there, your first response is to go back to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Am I not good enough for you?" Rias moved Zabuza's arms so he had to actually look at her. Guilt tripping him into having sex with her wasn't her preferred tactic, but after Grayia shot down her attempt with Issei, the Gremory heir was starting to feel a bit desperate.

"Yes, now with all due disrespect, good night." Zabuza closed his eyes and attempted to block out the world. The girl's training with Senjutsu began tomorrow and he wanted to be well rested for anything that might happen.

_That stung.._ But Rias was anything if not stubborn, so she began to kiss her way down his neck, praying that the magazines she read in advance would help. "You know how much I'll owe you for this right. How good we could feel together? You and me, getting all hot and sweaty. The things I could do to you. Or are you scared?"

When in doubt, poke the most dangerous and temperamental of beasts. The male ego.

Zabuza cracked one eye open at the barb. "I don't think that's the point. I am not your perverted little pawn. The fact you are here. In my house. At who knows what time of night, offering what I can only assume is your virginity to me, throws up so many red flags, I could start a tacky marching band or other waste of time..."

"Well it's not like you were my first choice.." She mumbled before sitting back up. If Zabuza was a lesser man, he'd have been entranced by the way her breasts bounced in the darkness, nipples peeking out in the cold, but he wasn't, and all it did was remind him of the fact that he wanted to sleep, and instead he had what could be described as a ticking time bomb straddling to his waist. "I'll pay you?"

"I didn't think I needed to explain the difference between a mercenary and a sidewalk whore to someone your age. Besides even if I were to consider taking that..._job._" He said the word as if it was a personal insult. "I wouldn't do it for.. I can't believe, I, me, of all people, is using this excuse.. Moral reasons."

"Haku said she was fine with it." That shut him up. Mostly.

"And I don't believe you."

Rias shuffled off Zabuza's body, taking her time to stretch and show off as much of her body as possible to an uncaring Zabuza before she walked into the kitchen. She'd placed her phone on the counter just for this very situation.

It took a moment but she found the thread of messages she was looking for. "And checkmate." Rias handed him the phone as she crossed her arms, propping up her chest. This whole thing was a blow to her pride, but she'd manage if it broke the contract. _Still, would it kill him to at least pretend like he cares?_

"Can I talk… need help… breaking my engagement… sleep with someone.. so long as Zabuza agrees, I have no issue?" Well there it was. All spelled out before him. It was certainly Haku's number. He'd been offered up on a silver platter so long as he consented.

"I'm really starting to hate you Gremory.." He sighed as he put the phone down onto the table. He could feel a headache coming on, the fact that Rias was back to sitting on him doing little to relieve him of it. "Look. Why don't you just challenge him to a rating game for your freedom?"

"Because he's a Phenex." Rias responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I know how strong my peerage is. I trust Akeno with my life, I know Koneko and Kiba will throw themselves in front of a sword for me, but it's not a fight we could win without a miracle.."

"So, you have to go with the other option… I understand why you don't want to marry Riser. He's a prick, but why go to this extreme?" Zabuza motioned to himself and a naked Rias at the mention of 'this' with a free hand.

"You do realize that if word gets out we fucked, you aren't the only one who's going to get in shit. If anything, the Phenex clan is going to be demanding my head on a pike. And while I wish to fight your brother, I'm going to do it on my terms. Terms that don't include him enraged from making his little sister seem like a slut." He continued before glaring up at Rias.

"So. Give me a reason. Why should I help you? Why should I go through the trouble? Why do you fight? Why, should I, give a damn?"

"Because I'll pay you whatever you want-" Rias yelped as Zabuza shifted and faster than she could react, she was pinned to the couch with Zabuza looming over her, with a dangerous smile on his face. _Since when did he have shark teeth?! _Not that he didn't pull them off with a dangerous and appealing aura, but something like serrated teeth aren't easily hidden.

Zabuza ignored the sight of Rias struggling to get free, her wrists held in place above her head by just one of his hands. "Wrong answer women. Now, why don't you try again before I decide to stop playing nice."

He leaned forward to whisper the next part, the shiver running down Rias's spine more than enough petty vengeance for now. "And a bit of advice for next time. Only, negotiate, if you have the stronger position. Or who knows, someone might just take _advantage_ of you.."

Having taken his little bit of revenge, Zabuza removed his head from the crook of Rias's neck to look at her. She was a bit shaken by the turn of events, but she refused to show it. _Good, she's got spunk. More than can be said for most._

"I want people to see me as me." Rias spoke up, as if challenging Zabuza to talk back. For now he kept quiet. "I'm always seen as Rias Gremory. Even you refer to me by that stupid name. I want to show them all I'm more than just that. I want to be more than Rias the political marriage, Rias the little sister of a Satan. I want them to look at me, for me. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes."

"W-what?!" Rias started before Zabuza's free hand covered her mouth. The last thing he needed right now was to wake up his pawns. Raynare and Kalawarner would probably have a few awkward questions to ask, while Mittelt, knowing her, would want to join in on the perceived fun.

"I expected something more than a little girl standing on a soap box screaming for attention. I thought you better than someone who cared for the opinion of sheep." Zabuza ignored the glare being sent his way as he removed his hand. The last thing he wanted was a bite wound as the insult cherry on top.

"I. Don't. Want. Attention. I want respect." Rias ground out, getting a short laugh from the swordsman.

"Then why are you here, begging for me to bend you over my counter and fuck you like a common tramp? Don't ask me for something stupid like that. If you are going to sell your soul to a demon, at least have the balls to ask for the power to choose your own destiny."

"Fine." Rias shot up in a quick burst of strength to get back on top, looking down on at a rather smug looking devil. The image of an angry and naked women with a glowing red spell o'doom pointed at his face was far more appealing.

_What can I say. I like my partners like my swords. With a backbone of steel and a lethal edge to them._

"Now, if this was what I woke up to. I'd be far more open to the idea of ravishing you. Would still ask for dinner and a movie first, but that's cause I'm the romantic old prude." Zabuza lied through his teeth, not at all bothered by the change in position.

Rias blinked then went back to glaring at the annoying man. her patience having run out. "Funny. Now, are you going to help me or not? And if so, for how much."

"Yes, and for free."

"Stop playing with me Gaap. I'm not in the mood for your games. You spent a week keeping tabs on my peerage, you saved a group of fallen angels who killed my pawn not once but twice, saying all you wanted was a chance to spare, and now you are just screwing with me for the sake of it. So. Straight answer. Why are you helping me?"

Zabuza shrugged in disinterest. "Same reason I saved the fallen angels. You are useful to me. If the Gremory Heir owes me a favor, great. If said Gremory has a Longinus under her command, better. Haku seems to have a soft spot for you, so I'm rather forced to help. Or as I've said before. I have this annoying habit of picking up broken birds. Makes me a regular old saint."

_And if a certain perverted idiot so happens to disappear in battle one day, and Haku by some wacky and twisted quirk of fate picks up his Sacred Gear, well… Terrible things happen to good people._

"Alright.. well.." Rias was at an impasse. She wasn't sure what to do next. Thankfully Zabuza did.

It mostly involved pushing Rias off of himself so she was seated on the couch before throwing a blanket over her. "Now, my suggestion is in the morning you send Riser a formal challenge to annual the engagement. Get a few days, a week or two if possible, for training and make sure you can bring in two extras to the fight. Phenex is enough of an arrogant bastard he'll probably accept, if not make something up that'll piss him off. Just don't tell him you lost your virginity. That's an entire can of worms I don't feel like opening. An annoyed immortal makes mistakes, an enraged one is a pain in the ass."

Zabuza stood up to take the short walk over to the other couch before dropping onto it with a groan. "You can sleep here if you want, or you can head home, just be sure to close the door. I don't care either way, but get some rest. You are not going to be enjoying the next few days Gremory."

With that said, Zabuza closed his eyes for the last time that night, only to be interrupted again by a quiet voice from across the room.

"Zabuza.."

"What?" _This is just getting ridiculous.._

"Thanks.. for helping."

"You can thank me by getting some damn sleep, or once we've actually won. So, good night Rias." _I would kill for my Ipod right now…_

* * *

><p>Rias looked at the sleeping swordsman, trying to figure out what was going through his head. Very little made sense right now, and she had this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she was missing a few key pieces to the puzzle across from her.<p>

First was his attitude. _One minute he's ready to kill me, the next he's offering me help.._

Second was his skill. Her tactical skills were screaming at her that he was hiding something, that for all that swagger and threats were something he could back up on a moments notice, but she had no proof.

Which brought her to the crux of the matter. Zabuza was an enigma. There were only three confirmed facts she could use when dealing with him. He was a recluse. Prior to attending the academy, any sighting of the Gaap Heir was a ghost story. Well aside from one incident.

The disappearance of an entire peerage. A human who was reincarnated into a devil. Managed to get work his way through the ranks to High-Class and let the power get to his head. One of the Satan's threw a party and in a rare show the Gaap Heir attended, accompanied by his new, solo piece.

From there things got murky. Some say the Reincarnated Devil made some rather.. lewd overpasses to Haku, while others talked about Zabuza throwing the first punch. No one really knew. All Rias knew was that the reincarnated Devil left the party with a broken nose while swearing to get revenge on a twelve year old Zabuza for the embarrassment.

And as cliche as it sounded, even in her mind, the devil with a broken nose was never heard from again. As if they never existed in the first place.

Zabuza's words came back to her. 'If I had any hand in this, Issei's corpse would have been fish food for the past four days and you'd have no idea I was even involved, much less that Issei was even dead. No, He'd simply. Fade into the mist. After all.. I'm a professional.'

A rather chilling thought.. _Still.. I'll keep an eye on him.. two people can play at whatever you're up to Gaap.._

And the fact he was a rather attractive man would simply make the observation that much sweeter.

**AN: An alternate title for this chapter could be 'Zero Fucks' for various reasons. Regardless~ I hope you all enjoyed the chapter~ I know I look forward to the Riser fight for secret reasons~. And for those of you disappointed that Rias and Zabuza didn't do the do, I simply say patience. That stuff will come in time. Until then~ Hope you all have a good new year and I shall see you next time.**

**On a side note, I've more or less finished picking out Zabuza's full peerage. So that's a thing that'll be worked in eventually. Feel free to guess who is in what role.**


	10. Tenth Move

_Not again..._ Zabuza groaned as he was overcome with a strange sense of deja vu at the weight of someone straddling him. _If it's Gremory, I'm killing her.._

"Good morning." Haku smiled down at Zabuza as he cracked an eye open to glare at her. The fact she was at least wearing one of his t-shirts, instead of following Gremory's example

_Thank Kami for small mercies._ He thought.

"You." Zabuza brought a hand up to massage the bridge of his nose as he collected his thoughts before putting it back down by his side. "Are in a lot of trouble, Missy."

Haku leaned forward, giving the newly awoken teen a chaste kiss with a playful smile. "Oh? And are you going to punish me?" She didn't pull back as she felt Zabuza's hands come up to give her bare ass a possessive squeeze.

"Yes. Now get dressed, get Gremory the fuck out of my house and tell the girls they have the day off." As he spoke, Zabuza traced one hand up Haku's spine, suppressing a smile as she shivered under his touch. Once his hand was behind her neck, he pulled her closer for a passionate kiss.

They stayed connected for a few moments, Zabuza not letting Haku pull away as their tongues intertwined and battled for dominance in each others mouth. Finally Zabuza let his queen go, smirking at her flushed face and breathless expression. "You seem to be enjoying your punishment a little too much.." He teased.

"I aim to please Sir." Haku grinned as she sat back up, not trusting her self to have the control necessary to stop if she went any further. _Zabuza's orders come before personal pleasure._

"Good. Now up. I have to send the twins a message before you get a proper reprimand."

He had to chuckle at the small pout Haku gave him, before he pushed her onto the couch.

"Don't look at me like that. You'll have my _full_ attention for hours to come." Zabuza whispered in her ear.

"Tease.." Haku gave him one last peck on the cheek before standing up. As loathe as she was to admit it, work came before pleasure.

_Now to find my damn phone..._ Zabuza thought as he cracked his neck.

* * *

><p>"Mittelt... what are you doing?"<p>

The small blonde ignored Kalawarner and her curious look as she continued to press her ear to the door of the only bedroom in the house, imagination going wild. _This is far more important than talking to the hag!_

Curiosity peaked, the eldest pawn walked over towards the door, moving a strand of hair out of the way as she pressed against the cool wood. It took her a moment for her hearing to adjust to the quiet and muffled sounds, and took her even longer to figure out exactly what she was listening to. The pervert. In retrospect, the faint blush on Mittelt's face, and the fact they were standing outside Zabuza's locked room should have clued her in.

"Wh-wh-wha-!?" Kalawarner started before Mittelt jumped up to silence her with a pair of hands firmly over her mouth.

Right now, the blonde's greatest priority was allowing this to go uninterrupted.

"Shh... shut your mouth. They are just getting to the good part!" Mittelt whisper-yelled at her peeping companion, blue eyes glaring up at the taller women who'd regained her composure. Mostly.

"Ho-.. How long have they been in there?" Kalawarner just had to ask as Mittelt slid back to the door.

"What time is it?" The blonde whispered back.

"Little after one, why?"

"Bout 3 hours then..."

Kalawarner blinked, caught between worry for Haku and a sense of jealousy that she did her best to smother with various curse words in her own mind. _I am not jealous!_

"Move over."

It was Mittelt's turn to raise an eyebrow, not needing to voice the question.

"Because. He is my master... and well...a girl wants to make sure he doesn't hurt himself! It's not like I care or anything!" The bluenette snapped quietly.

Mittelt grinned like a cat that caught a particularly juicy mouse, but didn't say a word as she slid over to allow the other women her space.

Which is exactly how Raynare found them thirty minutes later. She had the sense not to ask why her friends were standing outside Zabuza's room, instead she just knelt down to take a listen for herself, freezing with shock once she heard a particularly loud moan.

So there they stood. The first out of a perverted sense of victory that her master wasn't wasting that perfect body of his with celibacy, and plots to make sure she had her turn. The second stayed locked in a mental debate with herself on what she was feeling, against what she should be feeling. The last of the trio just sat there blushing, listening and wishing she was on the other side of the door.

Later, on their way to meet up with the Gremory Peerage, Zabuza would wonder why Mittelt had the biggest grin on her face, while Kalawarner and Raynare couldn't bring themselves to look him in the eye with their beat red faces.

* * *

><p>Rias was rather happy with herself. She may not have managed to break her engagement, but she had a good feeling. It had taken her four encounters with the boy, but she could see something in his eyes. Something she and the rest of her peerage lacked.<p>

Not that the fact bothered her, since she enjoyed Koneko as her quiet, snack eating self. Or Akeno as she teased, acting as the clubs older sister. Issei as the adorable little pervert, or Kiba as a perfect gentleman. Even Asia, who'd joined them for such a short time had worked her way into Rias's heart. So no, she would not want to see the spark of a soldier in their eyes.

_No.. not a soldier.. _The glint was too wild, too chaotic for a professional soldier, but too cold and uncaring for a warrior like her cousin. Zabuza was an assassin in her mind. Which meant he was to be handled with care, since his loyalties went to the highest bidder.

"Yen for your thoughts Prez?" Akeno said, handing the red-head her tea, with a soft smile. She and the rest of the occult research club had already been informed of both Rias's marriage situation, as well as Zabuza's involvement. To say Issei was not pleased was an understatement, but he accepted it grudgingly after a bit of convincing from Asia.

_That girl truly is a saint..._ The blonde had already seemed to forgive the fallen angels for not trying to kill her, but actually getting away with it. Rias just shrugged at her queen's question, looking over the quiet scene of her peerage relaxing in the club room. Koneko munching on a some snacks, Kiba reading, and her two newest additions happily chatting away on the other couch.

"Just wishing that Gaap would show up..." The more time she wasted, meant the worst off her chances of breaking the engagement were. She'd sent the challenge first thing this morning, so it was only a matter of time that Riser sent his reply.

As if summoned by her words, a glowing magical circle appeared in the clubroom. _Finally._ The Gremory Heir thought with relief before it turned red, flames pouring out of it.

_Fu- _Rias swore in her mind as Riser and his entire peerage appeared in her clubroom. Riser himself wore a look of such smug superiority that she wanted to vomit.

He stepped forward, arms wide in that tacky red blazer of his. "Rias! How lovely to see you, I just thought I'd drop by and congratulate you on pulling such a great practical joke on my father and I."

"It wasn't a joke Riser. I'm not marrying you. Ten days from now, your peerage against mine." _With a bit of outside help of course. _Rias smiled to herself as the smirk on Riser's face faulted. _He must have actually thought it was a joke._

Riser took a step forward with a chuckle, only for Koneko and Kiba to block his path. "You can stop playing now Rias. It was funny the first time, and amusing the second time, but really. Why would anyone want to turn down me?" The blonde threw back his head, in a pose he probably thought dramatic as the entirety of his peerage, minus one, swooned on themselves.

Asia held Issei back from punching 'the enemy of all poor men everywhere' as the blonde continued. "It's cute how you've always played hard to get, but don't worry. In a few weeks, even after this little play fight of yours, I'll be able to show you the pleasures of being a women with a real man. You'd be a lovely addition to my harem. I'll even get rid of these pigs for you." Riser waved his hand over at a blank faced Kiba and an irritated Issei.

"Who do you think you are thinking you can just treat Prez's virginity like it's a damn Pokemon to be caught!" Issei snapped, only to get the business end of a wooden staff in his throat from a girl with blue hair.

"Don't you dare talk to Lord Riser like that you scum!"

"Now Mira, don't worry." Riser came up to the girls side, lifting her chin up to give her a rather impassioned kiss in full view for everyone to see. "I can take care of swine myself. Wouldn't want you to dirty your hands with filth."

The blonde turned to glare down at a coughing Issei. "Well scum, I hope you enjoy the last five seconds of your life. Insulting a high-class devil such as myself is punishable by death!" Riser shot a ball of flame in the pawns direction, only for it to be stopped by Kiba's interference, his blade absording the flicker heat.

"Riser! Those are members of my peerage! You will stop this instant or else!" Rias threatened, even as she prayed for Zabuza's arrival to help even the odds. Yes, what Riser was doing would be frowned upon and punished, but in the long run it wouldn't ruin his engagement to her. Devil laws were terribly sexist and unfair in some ways.

Riser just shrugged as more flames appeared in his hands. In his mind he had two options. He could listen to Rias and back down. An action that just didn't sit well with him. He was a Phenex. He was immortal. He wasn't going to back down just cause some women told him too. The far more preferable option was kill off the pigs now. Would make things easier for this farce of a rating game, and it'd show Rias that he was serious bout her.

_Yes. That works._ Riser raised both hands with a wicked grin as more fire appeared. "Sorry Rias, I didn't hear you. You want me to burn them to a crisp? Happily."

The spell had barely left his hand before Riser found his arms bound in chains. Chains in the shape of shuriken that connected two cloaked figures.

"Told you we had enough time to stop at WacDonald's for a burger." The one on the left spoke in a metallic voice, the majority their faces obscured by a large black re-breather connected to a metal band over their forehead. The one on the right had a single horn attached to the center of his headband, while the one who spoke first had two.

"You say as we barely arrive in time to protect the customer." Said the second figure in a similarly mechanical voice, their tattered grey cloak covering up the entirety of their body, aside from the part slightly lift to show they each held one end of the chain as it dug into Riser's flesh. "Boss would kill us if we lost one of the customers so early."

"Ah fuck.. good point... well screw it. Everyone's safe, so what's the point of worrying? Aside from fried chicken boy here, the rest are small fries... Man.. Think Boss will feed us after this. I'm starved for some reason.." One-horn motioned with his head to the Phenex peerage who were chomping at the bit to attack the two idiots who dared raise their hand against their master. Riser for his part just kept his look of smug superiority up, laughing internally at the foolishness of thinking they could beat him.

"... How am I to know? Focus on the job. Boss said he'd be running late since Haku needed to be 'punished'. His words not mine."

Rias wasn't sure how someone who sounded like they were talking with a tin can over their mouth could sound so deadpan, but there it was. _But they said Haku.. so they must be part of Zabuza's peerage!_ Finally, some reinforcements.

"Damn. She gets all the luck... so..." One-Horn glanced at Riser. "Turkey-Dinner. We going to play nice or am I going to have to cook your goose?"

"Now you're just taunting him. And stop with the food puns. I don't want my last meal before Boss kills us to be chicken nuggets bigger than Phenex's balls, or his brain. The metaphor works both ways, really."

That was the straw that broke the camels back as a pair of girls with cat ears charged forward, not going to take another insult to their master lying down.

"Just die!"

"You scum!"

They screamed in unison as they jumped up, fists on a collision course with the masked intruders faces, even as they heard their master grunt in pain as his arms were torn off. The intruders sidestepped the enraged swipes with ease, cloaks swaying in the wind as One-Horn's right hand, and Two-Horn's left hand rose into view to reveal a set of large clawed gauntlets.

One-Horn and Two-Horn were a work of symmetry as they spun on their heels, grabbing the cat-eared twins by the back of their head, smiling under their masks at the screams of pain as they squeezed their metallic hands. But they weren't done yet. Their master had taught them long ago that if you were going to give someone a warning, it was always best to go overboard, rather than have it fall flat.

So Riser could only watch as he got his fire ready to barrage the intruders into the afterlife as they charged each other, still with a firm grip on his pawns head. The sound they made as the cat girl's faces were smashed together were something he'd remember for days to come.

"Next." The masked duo said in unison as they unceremoniously tossed the unconscious pair of girls to the floor like a set of used rags. The didn't even blink at the blood that was soaking into the carpet as it leaked out of what remained of the girls noses.

"No. No 'next'. This foolishness stops now." A new voice spoke up. Calm, cold and familiar to Riser and Rias. "Riser. You will take your peerage and leave. Any more of your foolishness and your father will punish you."

Riser just glared at the silver-haired woman as Grayfia turned her attention to the cloaked figures. "And you two will leave the premises of this school. By choice, or by casket."

One-horn just blew out a breath. "And who are you to kick us out? We don't take orders from grannies. Boss was invited here for a meeting, and since we can no longer have any fun with Ham-Sandwich over there, you can shove off."

"That wasn't even closely related to poultry." Two-Horns put in as the collective jaws dropped.

"You know as well as I do that we only have one job. Kill whoever the Boss tells us to, and protect whoever he tells us to. Making creative insults is not on that list."

"Isn't that two jobs?" Asia said before One-Horn gave her an amused glance.

"What can I say. Counting isn't one of my jobs either."

"If you are done..." Rias started, deciding she'd better take care of the situation before even more damage was done to both her clubroom or her allies. "Big Sis. They are with me, and only interfered because Riser." She shot him a glare, only getting a blown kiss in response. "Tried to kill my pawn and my knight. I was an act of self defense."

Not completely the truth, but more than close enough.

"I see." Grayfia turned to the Phenex Peerage. "And what are you still doing here? I suggest you leave before I lodge a formal complaint to your father. I'm sure Lord Phenex would be delighted to hear how one of his sons had been acting."

With that threat hanging over his head, two of his peerage grabbed the mangled twins before beating a hasty retreat. Of course, Riser couldn't go without a parting shot.

"Rias. I suggest you spend the next few days shopping for wedding dresses. After that, I will enjoy breaking you of your rebellious spirit, till you beg for it."

One-Horn responded in with a holy knife to the pricks throat. The look of pain on his face would be a welcome memory for later.

Shortly after, Grayfia left, wishing her sister-in-law 'good luck' with one last warning glare to the cloaked strangers.

The tense atmosphere was quickly replaced with awkward silence before Two-Horns spoke up. "Greetings. Boss will be along shortly."

Those words did nothing as the two groups stood staring at each other, not sure how to proceed.

**An:** Yo. So a little bit longer cause I was a little late with the update. Seemed only fair. Anyways! I'm sure you can all guess who just showed up. I'm actually looking forward to more fight scenes with these two cause of what I have planned out. But that's a spoiler for next chapter or so. As usual, thoughts, comments, concerns. I welcome it all!

On an unrelated side note, I'm thinking of writing a one-shot for Fire-Emblem/Naruto Crossover with Zabuza and Tharja (cause I've been replaying it lately, and remembering how great Tharja is. Parenting skills aside.) Not sure if I will or not, since most one shots I do (Aside from Hey Boss!, which got a ton more attention than I thought it would.) {The usual self plugging aside.}

Anyways, closing thoughts. I need to do some more practice and stuff with fight scenes, and to stop being such a damn tease with the promised sex scenes. In that vain, the 'training' episodes will probably be the next one or two chapters, than finally the Riser vs Rias rating game as one longer third chapter. In conclusion, thanks for your time and hope you all have a good day :) See ya later~


	11. Eleventh Move

"Dare I ask?" Zabuza cocked an eyebrow at the scene before him.

Issei was laid out on the couch, head in Asia's lap as the remainder of Occult Research club stood around their president, staring down the pair of cloaked figures. The clubroom had seen better days, with scorch marks and charred carpet.

"We just want to say." Two-Horn spoke up as he turned on his heels to face Zabuza.

"It wasn't our fault." One-Horn finished as he too turned, bowing his head slightly.

Rias watched as her fellow King nodded, tossing a paper bag to Two-Horn, while holding out a WacDonald's drink to One-Horn, who took it with a small thank you. Eventually he turned to look at the red-head.

"Phenex?"

She simply nodded, allowing the Gaap Peerage to pile in to the clubroom.

_What's up with them? _Rias wondered as she noticed Zabuza's three pawns seemed unwilling to meet his gaze, and were doing their best to imitate the color of her hair.

"Haku won't be joining us?" Akeno asked, curious as the noticeable absence of the queen piece. If anything the three pawn's faces grew even brighter, with Mittelt bursting into a fit of giggles. Kalawarner stopped her with a quick smack to the back of her head.

"Haku." Zabuza began as he took his seat in the center of the couch, One-Horn and Two Horn not even hesitating to take the place by his side. "Is too..."

He choose his words carefully, as Akeno enjoyed the rising blush on the Trio's face. "Tired to attend. Besides, if in the event Phenex was stupid enough to attack me. I have these two idiots to deal with morons like him." He said as he stretched his arms out to rest on the couch.

"See, told you he loves us." Two-Horns said as he looked through the bag like it held untold treasures.

"The constant insults and abuse just prove it." The smirk could be heard in One-Horn's altered voice as he snuggled up close to the uniform wearing assassin, drawing the jealousy of not one, not two but three former angels.

"Boss is such a Tsundere."

"Agreed. Probably left Haku in a pile of pleased mush."

"Boss will also kick you two smart mouths out on the street for the night if he hears another wise crack. You two are almost as bad as Haku." Zabuza let out a long suffering sigh as he gave the twins a half-hearted glare. In response they just took off their re-breathers to enjoy their snack.

Mittelt hid a giggle behind a discrete cough, as the former angels took their seats on the couch. Raynare and Kalawarner sat next to One-Horn and Two-Horn respectively, while Mittelt was pushed to the floor for trying to sit in Zabuza's lap.

The Occult Research club's reactions to the conversation was mixed. Rias ignored the chatter, anxious to get down to business. Asia was too busy fussing over Issei to care, while the pawn did his best to not think bout a naked Haku. He didn't have any definitive proof of what Zabuza would do to him if he allowed his mind to wander, but it wasn't going to be something as easily walked off as the beatings from the Kendo club. Kiba kept up his polite smile, as Akeno seemed to be bouncing in place wanting to hear some dirty details. Koneko just stared at the cloaked twins, watching them with interest.

"Tsundere~" The twins said in their distorted tone before Two-Horns started picking at the fries, while One-Horn drank the shake.

"And you are late because you stopped for lunch?" Rias asked, her tone laced with ice. Zabuza just shrugged it off.

"Blame it on the poor service industry." Zabuza shrugged off the reprimand with ease. "But enough screwing around. Time to talk business."

"Without introducing us to your companions?" Kiba asked.

"Gozu." One-Horn raised a hand in greeting at Zabuza's clipped introduction. "And Meizu." Two-Horn flipped Kiba off with his free hand as he continued to snack, prompting a small smack to the back of his head from Zabuza. "Be polite. They are customers."

_Or in other words, Suckers. _Zabuza thought with a hidden smirk.

"Getting soft there boss, that one barely even stun-" Meizu was cut off by a second smack, as Gozu quietly drank his shake. At least Gozu was wise enough to keep to listen to orders the first time.

"If you are done?" Rias was starting to wish that Zabuza's subordinates were as professional as the man himself.

"Mm.. now. How long do we have until the match, where are we training and finally, we have to talk payment."

"I was under the impression that we'd already discussed payment." Rias could feel her face heating up as memories of the last night came back to her, only to fight the embarrassment back down.

"Yes, we did. But I have an alteration to the terms. I help you win. I get my payment, and fate willing, that is the end of our business together. We go back to being nothing more than classmates for a week or two, till something else happens to force our interaction."

"You make it sound as if we're stuck with each other..." Rias thought the reworking of the agreement over for a moment. So far all of Zabuza's requests had been weird but fair. _The least I can do is hear him out._"What do you want as payment?"

She realized she'd walked into a trap the moment she met his eyes. They'd gone from relaxed, to the cold, calculating look that so unnerved her.

Zabuza cracked his neck as he leaned forward to stare into Rias's eyes. "Two small things. Nothing expensive, or even time consuming. You are friends with Sona Sitri, correct?" Rias just nodded, not sure what her childhood friend had to do with anything. "Then for the first payment, I want you to talk to her about her sister. Find out as much as you can bout Serafall and her peerage. Nothing special. I don't want techniques, or weaknesses. I just want names, favorite food, regular hang outs, anything that you are willing to give."

"And if she isn't willing to give me those details."

"Your problem, not mine." Zabuza shrugged. "As for the second part. It's rather similar to the first-."

Rias could see where the conversation was going as she interrupted. "You want details on my brother's peerage as well, don't you." The red-head couldn't see the actual smile, but she knew it was there under the scarf.

"Yes. That is my price. Rather reasonable don't you think? A bit of info for a fan of Satan Pink and Satan Red and you get your freedom."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I'll enjoy the chance to buy Haku and the rest of my peerage some new formal wear. I've never been to a wedding before, but I hear they are quite fun." Zabuza's thoughts echo'd her own. Without his assistance she was doom.

"Fine." Rias said with a sigh, cursing herself, Zabuza and in particular Raiser for forcing her into this position. _At least big brother is strong enough that giving a few things away won't make too much of a difference. As for Sona.. I'll talk to her tonight. _There was something in the back of her mind that was screaming at her. That from the start all Zabuza had been asking for was seemingly inconsequential bits and pieces, was just so suspicious, she couldn't get a read on his intentions.

Zabuza leaned back on the couch. "Good, now what is your plan?"

* * *

><p>"Uuugh.. why must these packs be so heavy..." Mittelt whined as she struggled up the mountain path. The Occult Research club had arrived the day before to get a head start on their training, while the Gaap peerage by Zabuza's order took a day off to regroup and rest.<p>

After all, in his own words 'The only one who'd be enjoying the next 13 days would be him'. _The damn muscle bound sadist..._ The petite blonde thought as she put one foot in front of the the other to make her way forward.

"This thing's as heavy as Raynare's fat ass.." She'd barely made it another ten steps before the next complaint spilled out, a bit louder than intended.

"Better my perfect ass, than your washboard of a chest." Raynare shot back. The girl's had come a good distance under Zabuza's training regiment, but climbing a mountain in the hot sun, wearing not only the arm and leg weights, but with packs filled with what might as well be bricks, they were quickly going from tired to exhausted.

Even Kalawarner, the unofficial muscle of the trio was starting to wish they could just fly to the rented house, instead taking the hike. The bickering between her fellow pawns did little to improve her mood. She had kept her mouth shut for the passed two days, since saying anything might bring her grievances with this plan out into the air. She had to remind herself that she was just a pawn, and regardless of what she thought Zabuza made the decisions.

It was this lack of concentration as she wished her partners would quiet down that nearly sent her face first into the dirt path, saved only by Zabuza's quick hand grasping her shoulder.

With an embarrassed flush, Kalawarner righted herself and turned to thank her king, but he beat her to the punch.

"Raynare, Mittelt." Zabuza called out to the pair that had gotten slightly ahead. Both stopped as soon as they heard their names in Zabuza's deep tone. "Drop the packs, and run along ahead with Haku. You are no use to me half-dead from heatstroke on the first day." He commanded just loud enough for them to hear.

Without any more instructions needed, the two pawns tossed their packs to the ground and took off with a smiling Haku.

"So.. Boss.." Kalawarner started, not sure what to say as they walked in silence. Gozu and Meizu had disappeared in the morning, Zabuza having given them their orders. Now she was stuck

"Zabuza."

"Pardon?"

"Only the idiots call me Boss. So just Zabuza is fine." More awkward silence followed, as Zabuza tossed the discarded packs over his shoulder. At his outstretched hand, Kalawarner gave hers over as well. She wasn't going to complain, but the lack of weight on her back was definitely an improvement.

It was after all the first time she'd ever spent with Zabuza by herself. Normally they were training, or had Raynare or Mittelt, at the very least Haku to hide behind.

"Bo-.. Zabuza. Can I ask you a question?" Kalawarner gathered up her courage after the awkward silence began to get on her nerves.

"I believe you already did, but seeing as we got nothing else to do." Zabuza shrugged, though in the back of Kalawarner's mind she noticed the ease with which he carried the packs.

_Thinking bout his rippling torso can wait for later! Wait, why would I be thinking bout it? No, wait, shut up me?!_ The navy-haired pawn chided herself. "Why are we helping Gremory and her peerage? Especially after..." Kalawarner trailed off at the end, not needing to complete the sentence for Zabuza to know what she was talking bout.

"Simple. They have information I want, and it's a good chance for my debut." Zabuza said with disinterest, though he kept his attention on Kalawarner in the corner of his eye.

"Debut?" _The info I can understand, but a debut?_

"Kalawarner, prior to coming to the Human world, I was a notorious recluse who barely left his family home. Very few devils know anything about me besides my name and the rumor that I didn't inherit the Gaap bloodline. I'm rather proud I've managed to keep the information to myself for so long." Zabuza chuckled at Kalawarner's look of confusion. "I plan on using this fight to show them that I am not something to be ignored."

"Still doesn't explain why we are basically giving people who'd already tried to kill us another knife to do so..." She mumbled only to feel Zabuza's hand on her shoulder, stopping the pair in their tracks.

"Kalawarner." She frozen under his gaze. "In the future, if you have any misgivings. Just tell me. For us to work properly, we need to trust each other, and that won't happen if you are scared to talk to me. As for giving Gremory a weapon to stab us with later. I don't think that'll be a problem. She's too soft. Unless we betray her first, we'll be fine."

_It's the sun, the heat. Nothing else. You are not blushing. You do not like him. He's your boss, nothing more._ Kalawarner screamed in her own head as she nodded.

"Good, now come on. The others are probably wondering where we are." Zabuza took his hand off her shoulder to readjust the straps of the three packs he was now carrying.

Inadvertently, the thought of Zabuza carrying her pack brought her back to memories of her King walking around shirtless and so the pair continued on in silence, one of them contemplating the best way to humiliate Phenex, while the other did her best to not imagine herself being cuddled up against Zabuza's broad chest.

"Zabuza." Kalawarner finally broke the silence as the house they'd be staying in came into view.

"Hm?" Zabuza glanced at his pawn out of the corner of his eye as he gave his short reply.

"If, hypothetically we were to turn against Gremory's group. Can I deal with the priest bitch?"

"Hypothetically speaking, I'd be willing to give you Gremory and Akeno to finish off if it makes you happy. Like I said, I take care of my own."

Kalawarner's face split into a wicked grin as she saw the rest of the peerage waiting for them, Mittelt waving with a large smile on her face. "Well, that is good to know. Hypothetically speaking of course."

"Of course." Zabuza chuckled, but even Kalawarner could hear the dark edge to it.

_And just when I thought today was going to suck._

**AN: **Well, !^&*##$. FF screwed me over and lost the original ending for this chapter, which pissed me off to no end, so meh. Next chapter will mostly be training for the Gaap Peerage and character interactions, sooo that'll be a thing. Then after that we'll finally have the Phenex barbeque. Will the blonde idiots goose finally get cooked? Will Kalawarner admit her feelings for Zabuza? Will I ever write a chapter that makes some damn sense? Fuck if I know.

On a side note, looking through the Harry Potter wiki and fanfics gave me a realization that Severus Snape got the shit kicked out of him by life and didn't deserve half the crap he went through. (Snape Haters will be ignored cause reasons. Along with Dumbledore haters.) I've never really got the concept of character bashing, or why some people would go to great lengths to vilify a character. (Like Molly Goddamn Weasley. Why the fuck, and under what legit pretenses would she be a bad person?) I know I took more than my fair share of potshots at the wizarding world, and plan on taking a few with _Someone to Protect_, but those are done for the sake of comedy, when a lot of stuff I've read does it to be malicious or cause they just hate the character.

Legitimate complaints bout a character I can agree with. Yes, Dumbledore was an over trusting, and rather manipulative old goat, but really. When the fate of the wizarding world is resting on the shoulders of a kid who's recipe for success is 6 parts luck, 3 parts Hermoine figuring shit out and 1 part love, I can understand why he didn't just sit back and watch. But that's just my thoughts. {I really need to figure out a way to post these rants in a more constructive format, instead of as Author notes for a story that's completely unrelated to the subject matter... I'll figure it out eventually.}

To bring us back to Naruto (in a manner as smooth as high grit sandpaper), I'm still a bit conflicted bout the ending and as I've yet to see the Movie. As usual, I don't give a damn bout the shipping for various reasons (NaruHina or SasuSaku were both ships I couldn't care less bout for more reasons than I feel like listing). I just want to know where the fuck the villages are getting the money for things now. Also why are they even training new shinobi now that Jesu- Naruto, now that Naruto's effectively brought world peace. What the heck happened to all the Missing-nim as well, are they just going to sit back and let things happen, and more importantly, what are the Daimyo doing now that their military has effectively staged a coup?

And most importantly, why the fuck did Mei step down!? She's in her early forties or so probably, she's got tons of time, so why the fuck did she relinquish the title of Mizukage to Pear boy?! She'd still be kicking ass, so why is she sitting around doing nothing?! Da fuck Kishimoto!? I don't give a damn that Sasuke keeps pulling Karma Houdini moments out of his ass (or had the balls to name his daughter Salad.. How the fuck Sakura agreed to that, I don't even what to know), or that Naruto uses a damn Apple Mac (as well as being an oddly strict father). Just what happened that Mei, a woman who's equal parts Person of Mass Destruction as she is beautiful that caused her to step down.

I think I'll stop myself here before I get to down the rabbit hole of my own insanity... any more and I won't stop.

Anyways~ Closing thoughts, next chapter will probably be of the longer variety, as will chapter after that (And don't be afraid to check out my other works that I am shamelessly promoting.) As usual, thank ya for the view, comments, concerns and the like are all appreciated. Hope you have a good day and I look forward to seeing ya next time~ :)


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